Nigeria, OIC Partner To Empower Women In Agriculture
NIGERIA has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to empower 10 million women across the agricultural value chain to deepen collaboration and ensure sustainability for women in agriculture.
The landmark agreement formalised in Abuja, through the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, at the flag-off of the National Workshop on Agro-Value Chain Capacity Building for Women Farmers held in collaboration with the OIC, underscores Nigeria’s renewed commitment to inclusive growth and food security.
Speaking, Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, described the MOU as “a turning point in Nigeria’s journey towards gender equity in agriculture.”
The minister further declared that the Women Agro Value Expansion (WAVE) Initiative is a flagship programme designed to equip women with the skills, resources, and opportunities to thrive as entrepreneurs and innovators in food systems.
“Women make up 70 per cent of our agricultural workforce and contribute 80 per cent of total output. Yet they earn less, own less, and are shut out of financing. This exclusion may not always be deliberate, but it is real—and it ends now,” the minister said.
Assistant Secretary-General of the OIC, Ambassador Tarig Ali Bakheet, speaking, reaffirmed the organisation’s support:
“Nigeria’s leadership in advancing women’s empowerment and food security is commendable, and the OIC will continue to stand with you in this mission.”
The WAVE Initiative will focus on greenhouse farming, homestead gardening, post-harvest storage, financial literacy, and agribusiness development.
The Minister aligned WAVE to President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, stressing that women must now be seen as central to Nigeria’s transformation.
“Under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, women are no longer passive beneficiaries. They are recognised as primary drivers of national transformation. The policies are being reformed, the support systems are growing, but the real transformation lies in your hands,” she declared.
The minister gave special commendation to the OIC, Mutual Commitment Company (MCC) – a key private sector member of the WAVE Consortium and WAVE partners for their support in consistently backing women-led agribusiness by “planting the seeds of food security, economic growth, and women’s empowerment.”
“Strategic partnerships are the core of our successes. Across MDAs such as the Ministry of Agriculture, with development-focused institutions such as the OIC, private sector partners such as the MCC, and businesses such as the WAVE consortium. As we sound our alarm bells on the gaps affecting women in agriculture and across our other economies, our collaboration for excellence would answer our concerns,” she commended.
For farmers like Mrs. Dinatu Adiza Sani, a participant from Abuja Municipal Area Council, the capacity building marks a dawn.
“I have been farming ginger and groundnuts for years, but I only sold them raw. This workshop is teaching me how to process, package, and earn more,” she said.
Chairman of WAVE, Mr. Shittu Kabir, described the initiative as a “game-changer that will help women adopt modern farming techniques and build sustainable value chains.”
The capacity-building programme will provide hands-on training in greenhouse farming, homestead gardening, post-harvest management, financial literacy, and agribusiness development.
