The autonomous and benevolent AFOS Foundation, founded in Germany, is enhancing the performance of small farmers, agricultural businesses, microfinance banks (MfBs), as well as their networking across the value chains of the industry.
The Chief Executive Officer and Country Representative, Mr. Oladipupo Akoni, revealed that the Foundation had invested over €5.5 million in the development of the sector through interventions in capacity building, value-driven organizational development, management development, corporate governance, and product development since it began its project activities in the sector in 2017.
“Since the start of its agricultural project activities in Nigeria in 2017, AFOS Foundation has reached over 45,000 smallholder farmers in Nigeria with the attendant positive impacts on their skills, productivity, and earned incomes,” said Akoni during a chat with journalists during the AFOS Foundation’s first Stakeholders’ Roundtable event, held over the weekend in Lagos. “AFOS Foundation targets to reach 60,000 small farmers by the end of 2024,” she added.
The Country Representative stated that in order to build on the accomplishments of the Foundation in Nigeria, AFOS’ projects are now concentrating on Improved Agricultural Practices for Smallholder Farmers (SHF), Institutionalized Dual Vocational Training Systems, Value-Based Management Training, and Development of an Agricultural Training Center for the Agric sector, in addition to Microinsurance Product Development, Agric Finance Training, and Sensitization for the Public.
The Foundation’s CEO and Country Representative commented on the event’s purpose and advantages to the agricultural industry, saying: “AFOS’ ongoing project, which is the Agricultural Training Centre (ATC) being facilitated by our implementation partner in Nigeria -MLDC, will have a tremendous impact on the Nigerian agricultural sector by addressing its skills and development challenges, as well as capacity replacement, especially in this era of massive emigration.”
