Being the remarks by His Excellency Seyi Makinde, the Executive Governor of Oyo State, at the Official Launching of the Support to Women Entrepreneurship in the Agri-food sector in Nigeria (SEFAN/SWEAN).
Let me formally extend a warm welcome to you, Your Excellency, Ambassador Jerome Pasquier. Welcome to Oyo State. You are no longer just a visitor to us here. You have become more of a friend. This is your third visit to us here in Oyo State since 2019, if I am not mistaken. And each time we have met, our meeting has always been followed by development. I must say this is the type of friendship and relationship that we favour.
The first time we met was just before I was sworn in as the governor of Oyo State two years ago. You paid us a visit then and we talked about the vast potentials that Oyo State has in both human and natural resources. Since then, we have collaborated with your government in the agriculture sector. So let me use this opportunity to thank you again for your support in the Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP). We have mapped out the roads that will get these interventions. And our plan is to complete 200km of access roads in Oyo State before the end of this year.
I remember during that visit, one of the requests that we had made was that you should look into investing in our human capital development. And I am glad that you took that request to heart and we are seeing the result in the form of this Support to Women Entrepreneurship in the Agri-food sector in Nigeria (SEFAN/SWEAN) programme.
So let me again say thank you for honouring us in this way. We are delighted that our women in Oyo State are among the 300 direct beneficiaries of this programme. You have indicated that there will be 1,000 indirect beneficiaries in the immediate and if my math serves me right, your projection is that each of the women will influence 3-4 other women.
The reality of interventions like these is that they have the potentials of accomplishing even more than is projected. Historically, our women have been known to be very enterprising. They do not only farm but they also find markets for their produce. Some even go as far as merchandising, making the best use of the informal structures that they have been exposed to.
So, with the training they will be receiving during this SEFAN/SWEAN programme, I have no doubts that they will excel even more. I am always of the opinion that when the right people are given the right opportunities, they thrive. And knowing the antecedents of the French Government I know that the women you have chosen must have been carefully selected and they will put in their best and be worthy ambassadors of Oyo State.
Like Oliver Twist, we are not tired of asking for more.
But we can assure you that an investment in Oyo State is in an investment in development that will go directly to the people.
Last time you were here in 2020, we informed you about our collaboration with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) on the Start Them Early Program (STEP). I am happy to inform you that the pilot programme was so successful that in the last year, the Oyo State Government expanded STEP to six more schools in all the zones in Oyo State. Also, during our second year in office anniversary celebrations, we decided to again increase the number of schools by an additional six.
So, as I said before, when you invest in Oyo State, you are investing directly in the people. Our administration is dedicated to ensuring that no zone in our dear state is left behind, no sector is being overlooked, and no group is underserved.
So, continue to work with us.
Oyo State remains open for business and we will continue to play our part to see that every investment you choose to make in Oyo State yields the desired results.
Thank you and God bless you.