By Abbas Nazil
The BATN Foundation is strengthening the role of young women in Nigeria’s agricultural sector through targeted empowerment programmes designed to equip them with skills, funding and business support.
The initiative, highlighted in line with the recent International Women’s Day celebration, focuses on enabling young women to build sustainable agribusinesses and contribute meaningfully to the country’s food systems.
Despite their growing presence across the agricultural value chain, many young women still face challenges such as limited access to finance, inadequate technical training and restricted opportunities to scale their businesses.
In response, the Foundation has placed youth empowerment, particularly for women, at the core of its agricultural development strategy.
Through structured capacity-building and enterprise development programmes, it aims to reposition agriculture as a modern, innovation-driven and profitable sector for young Nigerians.
Two flagship initiatives driving this effort are the Farmers for the Future Award and the Graduate Agripreneur Programme, both of which provide entrepreneurial training, mentorship and financial support.
The impact of these programmes has been significant, with women making up 53.57 percent of beneficiaries under the Farmers for the Future Award and receiving 60.8 percent of the total grants disbursed.
This allocation reflects a deliberate effort to ensure that female agripreneurs gain access to the capital and resources required to establish and expand their ventures.
Several beneficiaries have already recorded notable success across the agribusiness landscape.
One of them, Adebisi Opeyemi, founded a nutrition-focused enterprise that processes orange-fleshed sweet potatoes into food products aimed at improving dietary health.
Another entrepreneur, Edeh Felicitas, is building a food processing and packaging business that produces ready-to-cook meals designed for convenience and healthy living.
Similarly, Mbah Chinaza Naomi expanded her spice production business after acquiring her own equipment, enabling her to meet growing demand both locally and internationally.
The Graduate Agripreneur Programme is further supporting female entrepreneurs by providing training, mentorship and access to start-up capital.
Beneficiaries include Owolabi Khadijah, who runs a meat processing enterprise producing value-added products such as kilishi and spice blends.
Olurunmaiye Cynthia has also scaled her broiler farming business after receiving financial and infrastructural support through the programme.
According to Oludare Odusanya, empowering young women in agriculture is critical to strengthening Nigeria’s food systems and driving economic growth.
He emphasised that women are central to the future of agriculture and that providing them with the right tools and opportunities benefits entire communities.
He also noted that access to finance remains one of the biggest challenges for women in the sector, making grants and mentorship essential for their success.
Beyond youth-focused initiatives, the Foundation is also supporting women in rural communities through agricultural interventions aimed at improving productivity and income generation.
In Bauchi and Akwa Ibom states, over 500 women have benefited from a poultry enterprise initiative designed to enhance livelihoods and nutrition.
More than 1,500 women have been directly empowered through these programmes, leading to improved household incomes, increased food security and stronger economic resilience.
The Foundation’s efforts align with global development priorities, including the goals of zero hunger, gender equality and decent work and economic growth.