UN Women and the Islamic Organisation for Food Security (IOFS) have launched an initiative to equip women farmers with climate-smart technologies to boost cassava yields and strengthen Nigeria’s agricultural value chain.
Ms Beatrice Eyong, UN Women’s Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, said at the Cassava Value Chain Stakeholders’ Debriefing and Consultation in Abuja on Wednesday that the programme would drive the inclusive transformation of Nigerian agriculture.
Eyong underscored women’s pivotal role in agriculture, particularly in cassava production, noting that although women constitute over two-thirds of the workforce, they continue to face persistent barriers to land, finance, technology, and markets across West and Central Africa.
She said addressing these gaps could raise yields by 30 per cent, increase food output by 4 per cent, and reduce malnutrition by 17 per cent generating significant gains for food security and public health.
She further observed that women in cassava value chains are often confined to low-income, labour-intensive roles, lacking access to improved seedlings, modern processing equipment, credit facilities, and secure markets to scale up their operations.
Eyong called for greater access to climate-smart technologies, microfinance, cooperative support, and formal market linkages to help women transition from subsistence to viable agribusiness ventures.
She reaffirmed the initiative’s commitment to positioning women as leaders, not merely beneficiaries, in food security and climate resilience, thereby enhancing their agency within the agricultural sector.
“Let us expand women’s access to climate-smart technologies, finance, and markets; strengthen policies that recognise and protect their roles; and create green jobs for a resilient, equitable Nigeria,” she said.
Dr William Agyei-Manu, IOFS Representative, said the initiative placed women at the heart of food security and climate-resilient agricultural systems across OIC member states.
“Together, we can transform cassava from subsistence farming into a driver of growth, inclusive development, and women’s economic empowerment across Africa.
“Let us build a future where no woman farmer is left behind, and where her contributions are recognised as central to sustainable food security,” he added.
