The Women Farmers Advancement Network (WOFAN) has provided farm inputs to 3,000 youth farmer groups in eight northern Nigerian states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to improve food security and combat youth unemployment.
The initiative is a component of the Year 3 activities of the Mastercard Foundation-funded WOFAN-ICON2 Project, which aims to introduce young people to contemporary farming methods by providing better access to agricultural equipment and optimal agronomical techniques.
During the event, Dr. Salamantu Garba, founder and executive director of WOFAN, highlighted that this support is a one-time grant aimed at empowering young people, particularly women, to achieve dignified and sustainable livelihoods through agriculture.
She explained that s “This initiative is not a loan; it’s a startup grant designed to enhance our youths’ interest in farming by providing access to financial services, best agronomical practices, community savings schemes, and modern agricultural tools and technologies”.
Furthermore, Dr Garba emphasised that the initiative lays a strong foundation for participants to establish profitable agribusinesses while fostering dignity and self-reliance.
The distributed inputs, which include improved seeds, NPK and Urea fertilisers, and agrochemicals, will support the wet season cultivation of rice, maize, sorghum, and groundnuts across Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Nasarawa states, and the FCT.
WOFAN has provided 3,000 youth groups with agricultural inputs sufficient for cultivating one hectare each. Each group received 50 kg of improved seeds, four 50 kg bags of NPK fertiliser, two 50 kg bags of Urea, and six litres of agrochemicals. Across the 2025 dry and wet seasons, WOFAN has allocated 300,000 kilograms of seeds, 1,200 metric tons of NPK fertiliser, 900 metric tons of Urea, and 36,000 litres of pesticides for these farming activities.
At the flag-off in the FCT, WOFAN’s Business and Coordination Manager, Mr. Taiwo Olawale, noted that 80 per cent of the community partners involved are women.
He stated that the initiative is designed to eliminate financial barriers often hindering young Nigerians, particularly women and persons with disabilities, from participating in productive and profitable farming.
In her remarks, WOFAN Director of Strategies and Innovation, Hajia Maimuna Lawal, said the WOFAN-ICON2 initiative provides these grants so that young people can commence farming without incurring debt.
The WOFAN-ICON2 Project, which the Mastercard Foundation funds, aims to support 675,000 young Nigerians across nine states over five years. It aligns with the Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy (2021–2030), which seeks to enable 10 million Nigerian youth, 7 million women, to access dignified and fulfilling work.
According to Hajia Maimuna Lawal, WOFAN Director of Strategies and Innovation, the WOFAN-ICON2 program offers these grants so that young people can start farming without taking on debt.
Over five years, the Mastercard Foundation-funded WOFAN-ICON2 Project seeks to assist 675,000 young Nigerians in nine states. It aligns with the Foundation’s Young Africa Works initiative (2021–2030), which aims to provide 7 million women and 10 million other young Nigerians access to respectable and rewarding employment.
Source: TribuneOnline
Image Credit: SolaceBase
