(http://fmi.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/ecology-300x199.jpg) Women and female youths in the South-West have been trained on aqua-culture entrepreneurship by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural.
The training which lasted for 3 days, took place at Agodi Fishery Laboratory Complex in Ibadan-North, Oyo State, South Western Nigeria.
The training drew its Participants from the 6 States of Oyo, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Ekiti and Lagos. It witnessed a massive turn out of both Female Youth and Women Fish Farmers.
While flagging off the training, the Permanent Secretary, Mrs Ibukun Odusote represented by the Regional Director in-charge of the South-West, Abdulkadir Olayekon explained that the training was in line with the present administration's efforts at addressing the problems of unemployment and hunger that has not only became a major threat to quality of life but has adversely been affecting security of lives and properties of Nigerians.
She declared that under this administration, issues relating to unemployment amongst women, wealth creation and food security were being amplified particularly with the youths and women for the benefit of all Nigerians, owing to the convergence of the Ministry's Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) and Mr. President's agenda on agriculture for Nigeria.
Mrs Odusote observed that while there was the need for Government at all levels to convert its human resources into actionable programmes and have them implemented to make meaningful impacts on the economy, it is also necessary to set up a deliberate drive for the training of our employed women and youth nationwide on different agricultural enterprises along the value chains.
The permanent secretary further opined that the theme for the training was very germane for women on fish farming and organising them into co-operatives would not be overemphasized, as she urged them to be committed and build consensus around all relevant areas of aqua-culture to see that the targets for fish production and re-processing in Nigeria, are achieved.
She then implored the participants to make the best use of both the theory and practical sessions which she went on, could prepare them to be better equipped, assuring that any trainee who shows high level of commitment and seriousness by putting what she learnt into practice will further be supported and encouraged in forming co-operative groups so that the Ministry can facilitate them to own commercial fish farms.
Also speaking, the State Commissioner for Agriculture in the State, Peter Odetomi described the training as timely especially now that government's attention was being shifted from crude oil based revenue to agricultural production and thanked the Federal Government for such initiative.
Odetomi enumerated some giant strides the Oyo state Government has taken to strengthen the aquaculture in the State with a view to making farming an attractive business to all class of people in Oyo State.
In her opening remarks, the Deputy Director, Women in Agriculture, Mrs Zainab O. Towobola who also coordinated the training workshop informed that through the training, the Ministry intends to encourage local fish production, processing and facilitate trade development so as to showcase Small and Medium Scale Enterprises from local to national levels of marketing Nigerian fish.
Mrs Towobola commended the Consultants, Resource Persons, Participants and State Government Officials for making the training workshop a huge success and praised the Federal Permanent Secretary for her foresight in promptly attending to all matters of women and youth empowerment.
In his address, a State Director in Oyo, Mr. Lasisi Muslim Adebayo however stated that given Nigeria's potentials in fishery, the country is not expected to be importer of any fish and fish products if its vast marine and inland aquatic resources are put into consideration.
Highlights of the occasion was the presentation of assorted starter packs on aqua-culture by the Permanent Secretary, Mrs Ibukun Odusote to the women trainees.
Via: Federal Ministry of Information (FMI) Nigeria
That is a very good development for citizens in Nigeria. These are the kind of things we would love to hear about