Olam Agri and the Sustainable Collective Advocacy for Africa Development Initiative (SCAAD) have expanded their Community Resilience Opportunities for Women and Youth (CROWY) Project to Kwara State, following successful results in Nasarawa and Benue states.
The initiative aims to empower women and young people in vulnerable agricultural communities by providing them with hands-on skills, business training, and trade tools to generate income especially during farming off-seasons when earnings typically drop.
The first phase of the project trained 100 participants across Nasarawa and Benue between December 2025 and March 2026 in six key vocational fields: soap making, hairdressing, shoemaking, carpentry, tailoring, and welding.
Alongside starter kits, beneficiaries received coaching in financial literacy and business management.
Several participants saw immediate success, with shoemakers in Benue selling handcrafted shoes for up to ₦27,000, and a welding graduate in Nasarawa landing a corporate contract to build doors shortly after completing the program.
Building on these achievements, the Kwara State expansion will focus on entrepreneurship, inclusive economic growth, cooperative financing, and raising awareness about gender equality and gender-based violence.
Leaders from both Olam Agri and SCAAD highlighted that equipping women and youth with practical tools creates stronger, more resilient communities across Nigeria.