AFOS Foundation, a Germany-based autonomous and charitable foundation developed to support micro and small businesses and the rising middle class in developing and emerging nations, is strengthening the Nigerian agricultural sector by improving the performance of small farmers, agricultural companies, microfinance banks (MfBs), as well as their networking across the sector’s value chains.
Speaking on the Foundation’s interventions in Nigeria’s agricultural sector since it commenced its project activities in the sector in 2017, the chief executive officer and country representative, Mr. Oladipupo Akoni, disclosed that the Foundation has expended over €5.5 million towards the development of the sector through Capacity Building, Value-Driven Organisational Development, Management Development, Corporate Governance and Product Development interventions.
Akoni, during a brief chat with journalists during the AFOS Foundation’s first Stakeholders’ Roundtable event held on Friday in Lagos, said: “Since the commencement of its agricultural project activities in Nigeria in 2017, AFOS Foundation has reached over 45,000 smallholder farmers in Nigeria with the attendant positive impacts on their skills, productivity and earned incomes, and targets to reach 60,000 small farmers by the end of 2024.
At the event which attracted participants from the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Nigeria – AHK, and partnering organizations – CHI Farms (TGI Group), Big-Dutchman, TUNS Farms, Dayntee Farms, Animal Care Services Konsult, and Microfinance Agricultural Learning & Development Centre (MLDC), the Foundation’s promoters expressed a strong emphasis on Technical & Vocational Education (TVET) path under the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) as a credible and essential mechanism to facilitate entrepreneurship, and for the development and proliferation of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria.
The Country Representative said that to consolidate on the Foundation’s achievements in Nigeria, AFOS’ projects are now focusing on Improved Agricultural Practices for Smallholder Farmers (SHF), Institutionalised Dual Vocational Training Systems, Value-Based Management Training, and development of an Agricultural Training Centre for the Agric sector, in addition to Micro-insurance Product Development, Agric Finance training and sensitization for the Microfinance sub-sector.
Commenting on the purpose of the event and its benefits to the Agric sector, the Foundation’s CEO and Country Representative, said: “AFOS’ ongoing project, which is the Agricultural Training Centre (ATC) being facilitated by our implementation partner in Nigeria -MLDC, will have a tremendous impact on the Nigerian agricultural sector by addressing its skills and development challenges, as well as capacity replacement, especially in this era of massive emigration. “
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