The Police Officers’ Wives Association (POWA) has inaugurated the National Soil to Security Campaign Team (SSC), an initiative aimed at equipping 12 million young Nigerian women with transformative agribusiness skills.
The launch was announced in Abuja on Wednesday through a statement by Prince Abdulsalami Ladigbolu-Oranmiyan, President of the UNESCO Read and Earn Federation (UNESCO REF).
Dr. Elizabeth Egbetokun, POWA President and National Advocate for the UNESCO REF Young Women in Agriculture (YWA) Initiative, said the unveiling coincided with POWA’s 61st Anniversary celebration.
According to Egbetokun, the campaign will serve as the official outreach arm of the UNESCO REF Strategic Intervention Programme – ALPHA (SIP-ALPHA). The framework seeks to strengthen food security, advance climate-smart farming, and drive inclusive economic empowerment across Nigeria.
She noted that the effort aligns with the Federal Government’s emergency declaration on food security issued on July 13, 2023. The programme will also create sustainable income streams while placing women in high-value agricultural sectors from production to export.
“Through this campaign, we are enabling young women to break free from poverty by engaging in resilient, scalable agriculture that creates income, dignity, and national impact,” Egbetokun said.
Egbetokun added that the YWA initiative and SSC campaign directly support President Bola Tinubu’s food security and agribusiness transformation agenda, as well as the First Lady’s Renewed Hope Initiative. The project also advances the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDGs 1, 2, 5, 8, and 13.
Under the SIP-ALPHA framework, the initiative introduces modern, technology-driven farming models such as hydroponics and Kenaf-Agro enterprise.
Prince Ladigbolu-Oranmiyan, National Coordinator for YWA Nigeria, emphasised the initiative’s transformative potential, saying “The future of food is no longer buried beneath the soil; it is engineered through knowledge, equity, and innovation. With the launch of the SSC Team, Nigeria demonstrates not only its commitment to sustainable agriculture but also to harnessing the power of young women as architects of a resilient economy and peaceful society.”
The SSC Team will work across all states to mobilise young women, promote agritech, and improve access to inclusive markets. Their efforts include grassroots registration and community engagement.
By 2030, the goal is to train and certify 12 million Young Women in Agriculture (YWA) Champions while building resilient women-led agribusiness ecosystems.
The initiative is backed by a coalition of partners including the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, the UNESCO Commission Nigeria, Women Space USA, Salvation Academy USA, and the University of the District of Columbia, Washington DC, among others.
