Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture, Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) has commenced an all-inclusive training in Agric value chain. The goal is to link successful beneficiaries to agribusiness friendly credit facilities. The aim of EDI is to provide a platform or opportunity for youths and women, as well as other SMEs especially those in Agric Value Chain to have access to credit facilities. The ultimate objective of the EDI is to ensure that participants have access to a single digit loan from the CBN.
The training commenced on Tuesday 18th May, 2021 at the Lagos State Agricultural Development Authority (LSADA), Oko Oba, Agege. Sixty per cent of the participants of the maiden edition are made up of youths and women that had been trained by Lagos State Coconut Development Authority, LASCODA, and practicing the Coconut-Shell based arts and crafts. Thus, LASCODA fully funded Coconut-Shell based Arts and Crafts practitioners became the first trainees of Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture EDI initiative.
The Commissioner for Agriculture, Abisola Olusanya, represented by the Director Agribusiness, Mrs. Gansallo Aramide, in her Opening Remarks admonished the participants to note that if the money is eventually accessed, it should be appropriately and judiciously utilized mainly on the intended purposes, be it on an existing agribusiness or a new start up. As a result, one of the major outcomes will be to ensure that the trainees boost their businesses by helping them facilitate loan through the Agribusiness Small and Medium Enterprise Investment Scheme (AGSMEIS). Aramide encouraged the trainees to focus more on marketing of their products to ensure profitability and subsequent sustainability of their business.
General Manager LASCODA, Mr Dapo Olakulehin appreciated the Agribusiness department of the Ministry of Agriculture for successfully overcoming all the initial hurdles that militated against the commencement of the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture EDI to train intending beneficiaries of AGSMEIS. He implored the participants to embrace the opportunity with all seriousness to learn and get the best out of the training.
