Mrs Abimbola Okoya, the Executive Director, British American Tobacco (BAT) Nigeria Foundation, says that the organisation has spent over N1 billion on agricultural and community development projects in 15 years.
She said this on Tuesday at the foundation’s 2018 Dialogue Session on Smallholders Farmers and Sustainable Agriculture in Abuja.
Okoya said: “In 15 years of our existence, BAT Nigeria Foundation has implemented over 150 community projects in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
“We invested an estimated sum of N1billion on agriculture and community development.
“We strengthened and collaborated with 44 agencies and institutions, while encouraging the adaptation and resilience to climate change.
“We also engaged in high-level advocacy and earned the NS ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Certification.’’
The executive director said that that BAT Nigeria Foundation had trained 18,000 farmers in good agricultural practices to “lift the standard of living of rural farmers, while increasing agricultural productivity and sustaining food security.’’
Okoya said that the venture was also aimed at “generating employment, contributing to national economic growth and reducing the nation’s dependence on oil revenues.’’
She said that one of the main objectives of the organisation was to move farmers from subsistence farming to commercial farming.
Chief Kola Jamodu, the Chairman of BAT Nigeria Foundation, said that the organisation was determined “to proffer solutions that can improve the productivity of smallholder farmers regardless of their environment, urban or rural.
“The plan is to facilitate the farmers’ transition from subsistence agriculture to commercial agriculture and agro-business so as to boost the nation’s economy.’’
Jamodu, who was represented by Mr Yusuf Ageni, a member of BAT Nigeria Foundation Board of Trustees, said that he was hopeful that the Federal Government’s Agricultural Promotional Policy would reposition the country towards the path of prosperity.
In her speech, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), who was represented by Mrs Lola Olaopa, said that the Federal Government was determined to improve the citizens’ living conditions.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that participants at the dialogue session were drawn from all parts of the country. (NAN)