Olam Agri and the Sustainable Collective Advocacy for Africa Development Initiative (SCAAD) have expanded their Community Resilience Opportunities for Women and Youth Project to Kwara State to strengthen livelihoods among vulnerable women and young people.

The programme is designed to provide practical skills, business knowledge and livelihood opportunities to women and youths, particularly those living in farming communities where income and employment opportunities often decline during off-farm seasons.

The Kwara intervention follows the completion of the programme’s first phase in Nasarawa and Benue states, where 100 vulnerable women and youths were trained between December 2025 and March 2026.

The beneficiaries received practical training in soap making, hairdressing, shoemaking, carpentry, tailoring and welding. They also received trade-specific starter kits and training in business management, financial literacy and savings.

The organisers said the first phase had produced early signs of economic impact. In Benue, some beneficiaries who trained in shoemaking reportedly progressed from apprentices to independent producers, selling handmade shoes for between N20,000 and N27,000 per pair.

In Nasarawa, a soap-making beneficiary expanded into laundry soap production, while a welding trainee secured a contract to manufacture doors for a private company.

Olam Agri Nigeria Country Head, Mr Anil Nair, said the initial results demonstrated the value of targeted support for vulnerable women and youths.

He said the organisations were building on the first phase to reach more beneficiaries in Kwara, with the programme providing support in strategic leadership, entrepreneurship and inclusive economic participation.

The initiative will also promote awareness of gender equality and help participants identify early warning signs of gender-based violence and appropriate responses.

SCAAD Executive Director, Ms Frances Okeke, said the programme was aimed at addressing economic difficulties confronting women and youths, particularly in farming communities where off-season periods could deepen economic vulnerability.

She said the Kwara intervention would provide grassroots women and youths with practical skills and livelihood opportunities while strengthening their capacity to lead and support their communities.

The organisers said the programme would also expand access to cooperative financing and strengthen emerging women- and youth-led enterprises.

They expressed optimism that the intervention would promote self-employment, widen economic opportunities and strengthen livelihoods in targeted communities.