On the 17th of October 2022, the 2SCALE Nigeria team celebrated the 10th anniversary of the 2SCALE program in a grand style at Fraser Suites Abuja. The event had in attendance different participants who are key players in the agricultural sector in the country. Also in attendance were actors from the first phase, as well as present partnerships. Key financial institutions such as LAPO MFB, Cintrust MFB and Sterling bank also graced the event.
The event highlighted the approach 2SCALE uses to propel inclusive agribusiness while recognizing the strides made over the last decade. Another key highlight was how the program has strengthened and promoted the growth and sustainability of agricultural value chains in northern and southern Nigerian states.
The event had four panel sessions discussing the lessons learnt, grass root empowerment, access to markets, Base of Pyramid marketing and reflections. Other thematic areas where 2SCALE in Nigeria is leading change were also discussed.
The first panel session was on lessons learnt from the 2SCALE program and Mayowa Ekundayo, the CEO of Mayun Global Concept, who is the Business Support Service Provider (BSS) in the vegetable syndicate partnership of Royal Blue contractors and VD&S has been able to increase his labour force by 400% cutting across 4 states in western Nigeria. He narrated how the partnership has enhanced inclusivity while providing viable solutions to farmers.
I have been able to engage women and youth in my activities while identifying opportunities in the vegetable value chain. 2SCALE is contributing to the accelerated increase in youth employment. With the support of 2SCALE, youths are solving critical food problems and enjoying economic benefits within and outside the scope of the 2SCALE vegetable syndicate partnership.
Said Mayowa.
Still speaking on the impact of 2SCALE, Hadiza Yaro, Country manager of East West Seeds Nigeria, highlighted how the use of CASE (Competitive Agricultural Systems and Enterprises) approach through the formation of Agribusiness clusters and value chain proposition has brought together grassroots actors and empowered producer organizations as well as smale scale farmers.
For the sorghum partnership with Adefunke Desh, 2SCALE has enabled them to work directly with smallholder farmers. This is a major challenge they faced before partnering with 2SCALE. Micheal Adeoluwa Adeshola, MD Adefunke-Desh Group said 2SCALE has enabled actors in the sorghum value chain to develop a robust activity that involves understanding the peculiar challenges within the value chain by creating ways to support smallholder farmers through Village Savings and Loaning Associations (VSLAs) and increased access to inputs.
