To commemorate International Women’s Day 2025, the Women Farmers Advancement Network (WOFAN) ICON-2 project has launched a mini project by distributing 5,400 bags of rice to under served women in Agro-marketing.
This initiative, organized in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation, targets 54,000 underserved women, food vendors, and windows in agricultural value chain by providing critical resources and financial inclusion opportunities.
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According to the country director WOFAN ICON-2 Ambassador Dr. Salamatu Garba, this mini project aligns with the Mastercard Foundation’s vision of empowering and accelerating action on women’s development.
Dr. Salamatu emphasized the need to provide meaningful support, voice, and opportunities to northern women, enabling them to become self-reliant and productive.
She noted that the 2025 international women’s day is a special one as it coincides with the holy month of Ramadan hence the need to support women.
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She explained that, the 5,400 bags of rice were produced by Kano state clusters under the WOFAN ICON-2 project.
“WOFAN provided fertilizer, seeds, and insecticides to the clusters, purchased the harvested rice at a good price, and processed it at WOFAN centers for sale at marketing hubs”
The country director posited that, beneficiaries were selected from various locations, including Fagge, Soron Dinki, Kabara, Bauchi, Gombe, Jigawa,Kaduna and Ikara.
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Dr. Salamatu stressed the importance of unity and cooperation among women farmers, extension workers, and beneficiaries to achieve the desired objectives.
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“This initiative is part of WOFAN’s broader efforts to empower women, people with disabilities, and vulnerable individuals, making them self-reliant and productive”
In his remarks, the chairman Board of trustees WOFAN Professor Sani Miko noted that the mini project aims to bring succour to vulnerable members of the society.
He urged those saddled with the responsibility of distribution to fear Allah and give out to the targeted population.
In their separate remarks, representatives of the traditional institution, Ward head of Sharada, Alhaji Iliyasu Muazu, Magaji Garun Aujara Alhaji Mustapha Bashir, ward head of Ja’en Alhaji Ismail Saadu Usman and Durunin Bauchi Alhaji Lawan Jarmai commended WOFAN for the Humanitarian intervention.
They described the initiative as a major catalyst to alleviating suffering among families especially during the Ramadan period.
Paradigm News reports that highlights of the event includes the handing over of five mini trucks to five best performing clusters from Aujara 1,Aujara 2, Ningi,Bagauda and Dorawar Sallau.
The clusters received the mini trucks for their commitment and judicious utilization of the WOFAN ICON-2 delivery vehicles and other interventions.
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The mini project targeted small-scale female traders who typically sell less than half a portion of rice per day across the nine targeted states of WOFAN.
Beyond rice distribution, WOFAN is pioneering a holistic approach to women’s empowerment by integrating these traders into entire rice value chain structure and make a cycle of marketing linkages between the producers, processors, aggregates, the mini- agro marketers as well as the WOFAN mini logistic riders initiative, thereby magnifying a sustainable agricultural cycle.