In the Savanes region of Togo, located in the northern part of the country, young female entrepreneurs in agriculture have recently received essential material support to enhance their businesses. This initiative, spearheaded by the Youth Economic Initiatives Support Fund (FAIEJ), was made possible through a funding of 348 million CFA francs from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The official handover of the equipment occurred on Friday, April 25, presided over by the region’s governor, Affoh Atcha-Dedji. The equipment, designed to improve farmers’ working conditions, includes two tractors, eight tillers, five tricycles, eighty seeders, fifty-seven sprayers, thirty-five motor pumps, one hundred tarpaulins, and one hundred storage bags.
This equipment is distributed among 929 farmers organized into forty-three cooperatives from the prefectures of Tône, Kpendjal, and Oti-Sud, primarily engaged in cereal, market gardening, and legume production. This support is part of the Project to Support the Promotion of Entrepreneurship and the Private Sector for Sustainable Job Creation, linked to the Emergency Program for the Savannah Region (PURS).
It aims to achieve two main goals: to enhance the efficiency and productivity of agricultural activities through suitable mechanization, and to promote innovation while encouraging the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices in a context of increasing security challenges. In addition to boosting agricultural productivity, this initiative seeks to strengthen the economic resilience of young people and women in rural areas, providing them with viable alternatives to mitigate the risks associated with violent extremism in this vulnerable region.
‘We firmly believe in your potential to become key players in local development through your agricultural initiatives,’ stated Affoh Atcha-Dedji to the beneficiaries.
