By George George Idowu
Foremost Development Services Limited (FDS) has conducted training sessions in the South-South geopolitical zone and Abuja, benefitting 654 oil palm producers under the auspices of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).
Managed by Fatai Afolabi, the CEO of FDS disclosed this in Benin City at a one-day Community Outreach and Engagement Programme (COEP) for palm oil stakeholders from states such as Cross River, Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, among others on Saturday.
He said the initiative is aimed at bridging the gaps between oil palm communities and stakeholders, emphasizing RSPO’s commitment to sustainability.
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The program, spanning from February 2023 to February 2024, covered RSPO principles, grievance resolution mechanisms, and community engagement, with participation from diverse stakeholders including smallholder farmers, NGOs, media, and government agencies.
He said: “Oil palm is produced mostly by smallholder farmers, but the landscape is changing the arrival of large-scale oil palm plantations in Nigeria through investments made by companies producing thousands of tons of crude palm oil across several thousands of hectares.
“The first module exposed the stakeholders to the principles and Criteria of RSPO while the just concluded second module focused on grievance and dispute resolution so as to pave the way for mutual understanding among all the stakeholders including the smallholder farmers, communities and owners of big plantations,” he added.
Facilitators highlighted RSPO’s role in mitigating deforestation, land conflicts, and ensuring fair labor practices within the oil palm industry.
Makinde Abiodun underscored the fairness and transparency of RSPO’s dispute resolution mechanisms, which include mediation and the RSPO Complaints and Appeal Procedure (CAP) and Dispute Settlement Facility (DSF).
