The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), through its Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), announced the empowerment of 23 persons living with disabilities in Taraba on Wednesday.
Mr. Irimiya Musa, the VCDP State Programme Coordinator (SPC), made this announcement in Jalingo during a learning visit organized for the new members of the group.
According to him, three out of the 23 were provided with modules of rice and cassava and connected to VCDP facilities for buying and selling by December 2023. Since then, they have successfully grown their businesses to an enviable level.
“VCDP has supported many farmers, processors, and marketers in the rice and cassava value chain over the years, and the program decided to extend its support to people with special needs as part of social inclusion.
“We discovered that people with special needs are often better at managing businesses than others. VCDP provided them with a little support, and they are doing very well. That’s why we organized this learning session in the shop of one of the first three we trained and supported, so that those coming on board today can learn from her,” he said.
Earlier, Mrs. Altine James, the Rural Institutions, Gender, and Youth Mainstreaming Officer of VCDP in the state, noted that people living with disabilities were empowered through VCDP’s Mini Off-Takers strategy in the value chain.
She explained that after receiving business training, they were given seed money to start buying from processors and selling at a profit, aiming to take them off the streets.
James mentioned that the 23 individuals were drawn from Jalingo, Wukari, Karim-Lamido, Ardo-Kola, Takum, Bali, Donga, and Gassol Local Government Councils of the state, where VCDP was intervening.
Hajiya Latifa Abubakar, one of the beneficiaries, whose shop at Mayogwai market in Jalingo was used for the learning visit, mentioned that she had been begging on the streets before the VCDP team helped her out three months ago.
She noted that she started with measures of rice, garri, and dry cassava chips in December 2023, but today she is selling almost everything, making a significant profit, and was able to buy a handset for herself.
