By Ndahi Marama, Maiduguri

The Small Scale and Meduim Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has flagged off post- training session for 16 registered cooperative societies in Borno state.

The 16 cooperatives have hundreds of registered membership across the state.

Recall that many people who are registered members of the Cooperative Societies benefitted from the training and empowerment initiatives in form of cash grants towards supporting agricultural development in the state.

Speaking at the occasion, which took place on Thursday at Conference Hall, Federal Secretariat, Maiduguri, the Director General of the agency, Fasanya Olawale, represented by a Deputy Director in SMEDAN, Fatima Shuaibu, disclosed that the beneficiaries were drawn from 16 cooperative societies and each of the cooperative society was given over two hundred thousand naira in April 2022.

According to Fatima Shuaibu, the agency is aware of the contribution of agriculture in the overall Gross Domestic Product, GDP of the nation, as such, the need to encourage and engage Nigerians in agricultural value chain business, and no other place is suitable for this than Borno State which is just coming out of over a decade long insurgency.

“Indeed the significant role of agriculture in the economy development of any nation cannot be over emphasized. At present in Nigeria, agriculture contributes about thirty-four percent of the national GDP, it directly employs over thirty percent of the populace including the vast majority of the rural folk.

“It also makes significant contribution to the transition from agriculture led economies in terms of food production to that is industrial as regards production of raw materials for industries use this providing opportunities for value chain linkages that generate sustainable livelihood for the people,” Deputy Director remarked.

She stated further that agricultural processing contributes about sixty percent of all light manufacturing activities therefore as an agency responsible for facilitating and promoting the development of micro, small and medium enterprises, they will ensure delivery of quality programs such as the agri-preneurs that is in place now in Borno.