The Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL Ltd/Gte) in Nigeria and the Economic committee of West Africa the ECOWAS has given an award to the Women Farmers Advancement Network –WOFAN as the 2014 agric friendly NGO in Nigeria for reaching out and supporting over 5 million rural women and youths in 6 Northern states of Nigeria between 1993 to 2015. While presenting the award, Professor Pan Utomi of the agricultural sector committee of the CVL reinterated that WOFAN has contributed in its token way to add value to the 26.63% Nation’s GDP achieved in 2014 According to him, “We are also aware that Nigeria was declared the biggest Economy in Africa and one of the 11 global growth generators last year of which the rapid growth has been accounted for based on the contributions of key sectors (particularly non-oil sectors). The high profile event, which gathered over 400 top executives and Entrepreneurs within Nigeria and the International communities called on other stake holders such as private sectors and financial institutions to take leading role in making Nigeria attain greater heights. While receiving the award on behalf of WOFAN, Hajia Salamatu Garba, who is the founder of the organization thanked Allah for the foresight and also government and other key actors for their support to WOFAN. She stated that the organization was formed as a response to the plight of the rural women in Northern Nigeria, as people who are voiceless, poor and absolutely dependent on indigenous local technology as such the reason why the organization chose to improve and promote the economic, social and political empowerment of rural women farmers and youths in order to transform agriculture into business and develop positive linkages across all the agricultural value chain including access to finance and technical know- how, that will enable farmers improve their well being and gain food security. She called on the rural farmers to form cooperatives and adopt all technology transferred to them so that issues of climate chain and thinning out of our natural resources .
