In order to explore potential collaborations between the two offices in implementing the Renewed Hope Initiatives (RHI) of Her Excellency, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the wife of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS), Dr. Peter Osagie, accompanied by a delegation of Ministry officials, visited Mrs. Edesili Anani, the Coordinator of the Office of the Wife of the Governor, Edo State.
The Renewed Hope Initiatives (RHI) focus on four major agricultural support projects aimed at transforming agriculture and improving livelihoods: the first project involves training and empowering women in agriculture, with additional support given to young male and female farmers to encourage their participation in the sector.
The second project, called “Every-Home-a-Garden,” aims to improve household food access, decrease market pressure, and increase national food production by encouraging families to grow small gardens. To encourage participation, this program also provides a financial reward. Last but not least, the Young Farmers Club’s rejuvenation attempts to re-engage youth with agriculture as a sustainable and feasible career option.
This program aims to change students’ perceptions of farming by focusing on Edo State schools and presenting it as a profitable enterprise and a crucial investment for the country’s food security. The Permanent Secretary responded by thanking the Ministry for the invitation and reaffirming its ongoing support for these projects’ successful execution in Edo State.
Additionally, Dr. Osagie outlined a number of current projects at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) that would be useful avenues for carrying out the Renewed Hope Initiatives. These include the fadama NG-CARES Program, which supports agricultural clusters with a focus on processing and value addition; the Commercial Agriculture Credit Loan Scheme, which offers farmers affordable credit at single-digit interest rates; and the IFAD-Life-ND Program, which uses an incubator-incubatee model to facilitate agricultural appren
ticeship.
