By Chibuzor Alli
Women and young people in vulnerable farming communities across Kwara State are set to receive skills training, business support and access to livelihood opportunities as Olam Agri and the Sustainable Collective Advocacy for Africa Development Initiative expand their empowerment programme to the state.
The expansion is aimed at helping beneficiaries build sustainable sources of income, particularly during off-farm periods when employment opportunities and household earnings typically decline.
The Community Resilience Opportunities for Women and Youth (CROWY) Project will provide participants with practical vocational skills alongside training in entrepreneurship, financial literacy, savings and strategic leadership.
The intervention will also seek to strengthen women- and youth-led businesses by improving access to cooperative financing and supporting participants to establish or expand income-generating ventures.
The move into Kwara follows the completion of the first phase of the programme in Nasarawa and Benue states, where 100 vulnerable women and youths underwent training between December 2025 and March 2026.
Participants in the first phase were trained in six trades — soap making, hairdressing, shoemaking, carpentry, tailoring and welding.
Beyond vocational training, beneficiaries received trade-specific starter kits and lessons in business management, financial literacy and savings.
Early gains recorded among beneficiaries
The organisers said the first phase had already produced early signs of economic impact among some participants.
In Benue, beneficiaries trained in shoemaking reportedly progressed from apprenticeships to independent production within weeks, with some selling handmade shoes for between ₦20,000 and ₦27,000 per pair.
A soap-making beneficiary in Nasarawa expanded production to include laundry soap, while a welding graduate secured a contract to manufacture doors for a private company shortly after completing the programme.
All 100 beneficiaries completed the first phase, while an independent evaluation is being prepared to determine its longer-term impact.
Olam Agri Nigeria Country Head, Anil Nair, said the initial results showed how targeted interventions could help vulnerable groups develop sustainable livelihoods.
“The success and impact of this project shows that through targeted support and partnership, women and youth are able to develop foundational skills that enable them to earn a living, gain economic independence and improve their livelihoods,” Nair said.
He said the organisations would build on the experience from Nasarawa and Benue as the programme expands its reach in Kwara.
Programme targets economic vulnerability
The Kwara phase will go beyond vocational training, with beneficiaries receiving support in entrepreneurship, strategic leadership and inclusive economic participation.
The programme will also promote awareness of gender equality and help participants recognise early warning signs of gender-based violence and identify appropriate responses.
SCAAD Initiative Executive Director, Frances Okeke, said the programme was designed against the backdrop of increasing economic pressures facing vulnerable households, particularly in rural communities.
“Nigeria’s overlapping crises have made survival even harder, especially in farming communities where off-season periods often deepen economic vulnerability,” Okeke said.
She said equipping women and young people with practical skills and livelihood opportunities could help strengthen their ability to support themselves and contribute to their communities.
“When women and young people are given the tools to succeed, entire communities become more resilient and rise with them,” she said.
The organisers said the Kwara intervention would also seek to increase access to cooperative financing while helping emerging women- and youth-led enterprises become more sustainable.
The expansion is expected to promote self-employment and widen economic opportunities for participants, particularly those living in communities facing economic and social vulnerabilities.
Olam Agri and SCAAD said the programme forms part of their broader effort to strengthen resilient and sustainable livelihoods among women and young people in vulnerable communities.
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