By Gloria Osemudiamhen
The Coordinator, Office of the First Lady, Mrs. Edesili Okpebholo Anani has referred to agriculture as the “new liquid gold”, reiterating its importance as a vital sector for rapid economic growth in Edo State.
Mrs. Anani made the declaration while playing host to members of the Nigerian Women for Agricultural Progressive and Development Initiative (NWAPDI), who paid a courtesy visit on the Office of the First Lady at the Government House in Benin City.
She commended the Group for its efforts in promoting agriculture and empowering women, supporting the need for women to be actively involved in agriculture to improve food security and economic sustainability in Edo State. According to her, “Thank you so much for coming. It is good to have women and youths included in agriculture. I commend you for what you do and your initiatives and your programmes”.
Mrs. Anani highlighted the Edo State Government’s commitment to supporting agriculture, noting that the Governor has invested significantly in the sector. She emphasized the need for women to take advantage of the opportunities available in agriculture and to utilize them effectively to better their lots.
She said, “Under this administration, the Governor has invested significantly in agriculture. I believe this is the most substantial investment in agriculture we’ve had so far. Thanks to Senator Monday Okpebholo’s passion for food security, there are many programmes being rolled out for women. Now it’s up to us to tap into these opportunities and utilize them effectively.
“The World Bank is currently providing significant funding. The challenge is how to access these funds, secure our share, and utilize them effectively to produce food for the State. I believe the State can actually become a hub for food production. We have very fertile land, making it an ideal location for agriculture”.
The Leader of the Group, Tracy Agol, while appreciating Mrs. Anani’s efforts in promoting women’s empowerment and agriculture, said, ”Your Excellency, we appreciate you so much. We appreciate all of your good works. We have followed you tenaciously online and even offline. We want to thank you very much again for being with us during our AGM in Abuja. It was an honour accorded to us and to MWAPDI.’
Agol argued that women in agriculture have been neglected and relegated to the background and emphasized the need for recognition and support. In her words, “Women in agriculture have been relegated to the background completely, so much so that when you go to some of our communities in Edo State, it is the women that farm. But at the end of the day, they are not recognised. They don’t get the incentive that they are supposed to get as farmers in Edo State.
“We decided how to take care of our women folk, how do we make sure whatever incentive that Government is handing over to the people, the good people of Edo State, gets to them even at the grassroots. We proposed a four-year implementation agenda titled “Edo is rising: Agricultural training and empowerment initiative for women and youth farmers in Edo. This initiative aims to empower, train and sensitize women and youth farmers in Edo State, aligning with the State’s vision for sustainable agricultural development and economic growth”.
