Kogi disburses 61% agric loans to women farmers

Atteh disclosed this at the weekend in Lokoja  at a one-day Step-Down Training for Women on Gender Mainstreaming organised by the ministry and supported by Actionaid Nigeria.The commissioner who underscored the importance of gender mainstreaming in addressing gender issues, said the concept occupied a strategic and crucial position in the all-round development of the society.He […]

Atteh disclosed this at the weekend in Lokoja  at a one-day Step-Down Training for Women on Gender Mainstreaming organised by the ministry and supported by Actionaid Nigeria.
The commissioner who underscored the importance of gender mainstreaming in addressing gender issues, said the concept occupied a strategic and crucial position in the all-round development of the society.
He said it was in view of this that the ministry ensured that rural women farmers were being accorded priority in the disbursement of the micro loan of N100,000 each to support small holder women farmers in rural areas.
Atteh noted that women, like their male counterparts, were created or born with potentials, talents, skills and gifts and given the necessary opportunities, encouragement and support, they would impact on the family and national development.
Earlier, ActionAid Programmes Manager in charge of the training, Mr Victor Adejoh, advised that more women be allowed to rise in administrative and leadership positions.
He said out of the nine directors in the agriculture ministry, only one was a female, and urged that government incentives or assistance to rural farmers, especially women, be allowed to trickle down and translate into food on the table.
Also speaking, the  Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Yusuf Obaje, commended ActionAid for enlightening women and agreeing to train them in the ministry.
Obaje said that through concerted efforts of the NGOs, women were no longer agitating for implementation of 35 per cent affirmative action but were now asking for 50 per cent representation.