SMEDAN donates farm produce processing machines to farmers

As part of efforts to empower women farmers, the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has donated groundnuts oil, herbs/moringa tea and spices processing machineries to three women groups in Bauchi state.


Speaking during the presentation of the machinery and financial grants to the beneficiaries Thursday, Director General of the agency Umar Dikko Radda said the donation is under their gender based programs known as ‘AWAKE and WISE-P’ designed to empower women in agriculture and women entrepreneurs in the North East geo-political zone.


Represented by the director agriculture and business of the agency Robert Owaiye, the SMEDAN boss noted that they have also presented the sum of N210, 000 each to 20 women co-operative groups in Gombe state within the week.


He said the gesture is aimed at empowering women and building small and medium enterprises in line with the president’s vision of lifting 100 million persons out of poverty in his second term.


Radda therefore urged the beneficiaries to use the empowerment grants to the betterment of themselves, their families and become role models to other women in their communities.


Also speaking, the North East zonal Coordinator of the agency Mahmood Isa explained that SMEDAN was established and mandated to encourage entrepreneurship, alleviate poverty, create employment and initiate policy ideas for small and medium enterprises growth and development across the nation.


According to him, there are 41, 469, 947 micro enterprises and 73, 081 small and medium enterprises in Nigeria saying SMEDAN is duty bound to accelerate the development and modernization of small scale and medium enterprises in the country.

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