By Daniel Karlmax, Published by Fadila Yunusa
The Kaduna State government has reaffirmed its commitment to empowering women and youth in agriculture as part of efforts to boost food security and inclusive economic growth.
Governor Uba Sani stated this during the celebration of International Women’s Day at the AgriMEC Fair organised by the Women in Mechanized Agriculture Association, WIMA in Kaduna,
He said, his administration remains focused on expanding access to technology, mechanization and agribusiness opportunities for farmers.
Represented by the deputy governor, Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, the governor pointed out that, mechanization has become a necessity for modern agriculture, noting that empowering women with the right tools, knowledge and opportunities would significantly transform the sector.
He explained that, women play a central role across the agricultural value chain—from production and processing to marketing and distribution, but often face barriers such as limited access to land, finance and technology.
According to him, the state government has continued to invest in initiatives that support small holder farmers, encourage agribusiness development and expand opportunities for women’s economic participation.
Governor Sani added that, providing women with mechanized tools and agribusiness opportunities would improve household incomes, strengthen communities and enhance food security across the state and the country.
Earlier, President of WIMA, Aisha Yakubu Bako explained that, the association deliberately chose to commemorate this year’s International Women’s Day with rural women to recognise their contributions and encourage more participation.
According to her, the event also provided a platform for new members to register, access mechanization equipments and join the growing network of women-led agricultural service providers.
“We started with only six women but the initiative has grown to about 2,900 women across several states who now provide mechanization services such as ploughing, harvesting, threshing, drying, irrigation pumping and crop spraying.
“WIMA has expanded its operations from four states last year to 11 states this year and hopes to reach at least 20 states in Nigeria and extend its presence to another West African country in the coming years.
“The introduction of mechanized farming tools has significantly improved productivity for farmers, particularly in communities where mechanization was previously unknown”, she added.
Also speaking, a representative of PropCom Plus, Kator Abagu, said the partnership with WIMA has helped strengthen women’s participation in agricultural mechanization through climate-smart innovations.
According to him, the UK-funded programme, supported by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), focuses on improving productivity and resilience for about 3.7 million small holder farmers in Nigeria, with over half of the beneficiaries targeted to be women.
He said, the collaboration with WIMA has led to the establishment of 12 solar-powered mechanization hubs across states including Adamawa, Gombe, Kano and Kaduna.
“Such partnership has also piloted renewable energy-driven equipments such as solar-powered threshers, irrigation pumps, sprayers and electric vehicles used for agricultural services.
“The initiative has so far impacted about 1,500 farmers, with approximately 70 per cent of them being women”, Said Abagu.
Meanwhile, the Emir of Zazzau, Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, represented by Ibrahim A. Bamali, commended WIMA for its efforts in empowering women through mechanized agriculture.
He said the initiative would not only improve agricultural productivity but also support Nigeria’s quest for food security while enabling women to contribute more effectively to the welfare of their households and communities.
The event brought together women beneficiaries, development partners such as Institute of Agricultural Research, IAR, PropComPlus, and featured goodwill messages, agri business exhibition, as well as discussion among others.
COV/Daniel Karlmax.
