The Kogi Enterprise Development Agency (KEDA) has said more than over 50,000 women and youths have been trained by the agency on various entrepreneurial schemes and programmes in the state.
The KEDA Managing Director, Hajia Rekiyat Sanni, disclosed this in Lokoja, the state capital, while launching Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP) programme in its attempt to boost food production in the state, on Thursday.
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The KEDA Managing Director stated that the training and empowerment programme for women and youths was organised in commemoration of the celebration of the two years of operation of the agency.
The KEDA Boss expressed the commitment of the agency to the project in the state with full force, promising that 70 per cent of women would be involved in its implementation.
She stated that greater percentage of women had been recruited for the project because orange-fleshed sweet potatoes do not require much energy to plant.
In his remarks, the Governor of the state, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, called on the people of the state, particularly women, to key into the project for maximum benefits for improved standard of their living.
Governor Bello stated that his call became necessary because the success of the project would lead to wealth creation, greater nutritional value to the people and ensure economic prosperity for the state at large.
The governor who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Afolashade Arike Ayo-Ade, expressed the commitment of his administration to the project, saying that the production of orange-fleshed sweet potatoes would induce the power of foreign currency for the women.
“Let’s set a new record to ensure that this product is produced and even exported. Let’s think big while starting small in this project,” Bello said.