By Amaka Isikala
The Anambra State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs. Chinyere Esther Onyekesi, has commended the British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF) for empowering women through poultry farming, describing the initiative as a strategic step towards strengthening livelihoods and improving household economic stability.
Mrs. Onyekesi made the commendation on Sept. 11 during the flag-off of the Empower-Her Project, organised by BATNF in partnership with the Anambra State Ministries of Women Affairs and Social Welfare and Agriculture at the Prof. Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre, Awka. She urged the beneficiaries to maximise the opportunity by applying the knowledge acquired during their training and developing the intervention into sustainable and profitable businesses.
Also speaking, Mrs. Bridget Obi, former Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare and an implementing partner through Ecofield, praised BATNF for adopting poultry farming as a means of empowering women. She encouraged the beneficiaries to manage the birds properly, utilise their training and reinvest proceeds into expanding their businesses.
The BATNF Project Manager, Mr. Adetola Oniyelu, explained that the Foundation introduced the project based on its belief that empowering women translates into stronger livelihoods and more economically stable households. He said poultry farming was chosen because of its capacity to generate sustainable income and improve beneficiaries’ living standards.
Mr. Oniyelu disclosed that 200 women were selected for the intervention, with each beneficiary receiving 20 birds, one bag of feed and multivitamins after completing poultry management training.
He urged the beneficiaries not to sell the birds but to nurture them for egg production and reinvest the proceeds to expand their poultry enterprises.
According to him, BATNF is providing more than 4,000 birds under the programme, with the possibility of increasing the number to 10,000 or 20,000 depending on the success recorded. The BATNF General Manager, Mr. Oludare Odusanya, said the birds distributed to the beneficiaries were approximately five weeks old and assured them that the Foundation would continue to monitor their progress. He added that outstanding beneficiaries could receive an additional 50 birds when the Foundation returns around June or July next year.
Mr. Odusanya stressed that BATNF’s objective goes beyond distributing birds, noting that the Foundation wants the beneficiaries to develop into profitable and sustainable poultry farmers. He assured them of continued monitoring and support throughout the programme.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Agriculture, Mr. Jude Nwankwo, also commended the intervention, describing it as a laudable initiative capable of providing rural women with the foundation to become successful agribusiness owners.
Mr. Nwankwo said the programme was in line with the administration of Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s vision of promoting agriculture, partnerships and investment in the state. He assured development partners that Anambra remained open and receptive to investments capable of advancing the state’s agricultural sector.
Amaka Isikala is of the Ministry of Information and Value Reformation, Anambra State
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