Participants at the special training on Aquaculture and its value chain organised by the Office of the First Lady of Lagos State, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu in collaboration with the State’s Ministry of Agriculture, have lauded the wife of the governor for her initiative.
The fish farming empowerment skills was specially tailored to encourage farming and contribute to the country’s food security drive.
Speaking at the training organised for members of the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO), civil servants and representatives of some groups, the beneficiaries described the empowerment as worthwhile.
For them, they have been equipped with the skills to go into commercial fish farming without stress.
The three-day training held at the Cooperative College Training Room and Agriculture Development Authority Complex, Oko-Oba, Agege, from Monday August 31 to Wednesday September 2 this year.
It was the first batch of the programmes lined up by the Office of the First Lady to train people in fish farming, poultry and crops in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture.
A participant, Mrs. Adeola Rotinwa stated that she benefited immensely from the training about fish farming and its value chain.
“I really appreciate the First Lady of Lagos State, Dr. (Mrs.) Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu for giving us the opportunity to learn about the fish farming value chain.”
Accordingly, she insisted that they have learned, so far, how to create fish hatchery, smoke fish, dry, sell, and export fish, among others.
“We also learnt how to have a cooperative and collaborate to form a business, either to sell fish or to sell the fingerlings.
“I thank the Office of the First Lady and the Ministry of Agric for this opportunity and we are also praying that going forward, they will assist in empowering us to take this fish farming value chain to the next level of feeding the nation”, Rotinwa said.
Another participant, Mrs. Olajumoke Saliu said the training was an eye-opener in terms of the opportunities inherent in fish farming.
In her words, “So far, we have learned how to do the fish farming from fingerlings to table fish among others. They have taken us through the process and even told us that when you have the fish, there is a way you can add more value to it, whether locally or internationally such as making fish fillet, fish snacks, and canned food with fish without preservatives”.
“We are learning how to do it the organic way and also giving us value that we can also add to people at our own ends. It is a big privilege. We want to thank the Office of the First Lady and the First Lady especially, Dr. (Mrs.) Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu.
The women applauded her for impacting lives. Saliu continued, “This is not just about the people being trained as they will go out, create more jobs and reach out to others. This is a total package that we are grateful for”.
For these beneficiaries, this newly acquired knowledge will surely take them to the next level to impact positively on the food security within our nation and state.
Besides the training, participants were also tutored on accessing the agric fund of the Lagos State Agro-Processing, Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Support (APPEALS), which is a World Bank assisted project.
