Business
Firm To Empower 500,000 Rural Women In Kwara
No fewer than 500,000 women in rural communities will be empowered by Kaiama Shea Butter Company for the proposed planting of one million Shea butter trees across the state.
Chairman of the company, Mr Temitope Amujo said this while speaking with newsmen in Ilorin last Monday.
According to him, the state government, in collaboration with the National Orientation Agency (NOA), had provided the enabling environment for the take-off of the company in the state.
“We launched the Save-the-Shea campaign with the sole mandate of planting 100,000 Shea trees, empower 500,000 rural women in communities and achieve zero poverty in the state.
“This is to ensure safe climate; and to achieve this, we have acquired land in Kaiama Local Government Area to establish the first commercial Shea plantation and develop the first Shea Hub, called Kaiama Shea Hub (KaSH).
“We recently discovered that Shea tree is one of the endangered species that is seriously affected by deforestation activities because of its high quality for charcoal production.
“Our major target now is to discourage cutting of Shea trees for charcoal production, plant new trees and establish another Shea hub’’, he said.
Amujo said that the specific vision was to create a minimum of 300 local jobs and attract foreign investment in Shea value chain development in the state.
He said that about N30 million has been injected into the company — N12 million in grant, N10 million sourced from private investment and N8 million in liability.
Recall that the shea butter processing plant was established in 2014.
Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.
Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.
The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.
Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.
“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.
“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”
Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.
In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.
Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.
Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.
