The Resilient and Inclusive Agri-Food Systems Empowering Women and Youth in Nigeria project, known as RISE, is expected to create 8,000 decent jobs across Northern Nigeria through agriculture-focused interventions over the next five years.
The initiative, supported by Global Affairs Canada, was launched in Abuja by Mennonite Economic Development Associates. A joint statement signed by Maxwell Olitsa, RISE Country Project Manager, and Elodie Yahaud, MEDA West and Central Africa Communication, said the project is designed to reduce barriers across key agricultural value chains.
The statement explained that RISE brings together government institutions, private sector players, financial institutions, women’s associations, and local cooperatives to strengthen rice, maize, groundnut, and soybean value chains.
Under the programme, 450 women- and youth-led enterprises will be strengthened, while 250 farmer cooperatives will receive support to improve productivity and business performance. Through these efforts, the project is expected to reach about 50,000 people across Northern Nigeria.
RISE will focus its activities in Bauchi, Kaduna, and Kano States, where it aims to strengthen agri-food systems and create new employment opportunities. The project will also support 12,500 smallholder farmers through improved access to finance, climate-smart agricultural practices, and market linkages.
The launch ceremony featured panel discussions moderated by experts from MEDA and Sahel Consulting, with Dr. Aishatu Bakari Usman representing women farmers and sharing practical perspectives from the field.
Speaking at the event, MEDA Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Diaka Diallo Sall, said the project would go beyond traditional interventions. “With RISE, we are moving further and deeper. The project will strengthen agri-food systems in Bauchi, Kaduna, and Kano States, improve resilience to climate and economic shocks, and expand opportunities for smallholder farmers, cooperatives, and agribusinesses,” she said.
She noted that women and youth would remain central to the approach. “Women and youth will remain at the center of this effort—not as beneficiaries, but as leaders and drivers of ecosystem transformation,” Sall added.
Global Affairs Canada is providing support for the project as part of its broader engagement in Nigeria’s agricultural sector. Speaking on Canada’s commitment, His Excellency Pasquale Salvaggio described agriculture as a key driver of development.
“Canada has been a long-standing and committed partner in Nigeria’s agricultural sector. We believe agriculture is not only a powerful engine for economic growth, but also a critical pathway to advancing gender equality and reducing poverty,” Salvaggio said.
He added that empowering women and youth would help build stronger communities. “By empowering women and youth across Nigeria’s agri-food systems, we are helping to create decent jobs, strengthen local economies, and build more resilient and sustainable food systems,” he said.
The project targets four value chains, rice, maize, groundnut, and soybean, using a three-pillar approach that focuses on increasing yields and incomes through climate-smart practices and services tailored to women and youth in cooperatives.
This model combines market systems expertise with agribusiness knowledge to help smallholder farmers, cooperatives, and micro, small, and medium enterprises access finance, technology, and markets needed to expand production and add value.
The launch was attended by Nigerian government officials and international partners, including the Minister of State at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, who officially launched the project.
Beyond job creation, RISE aims to enhance the competitiveness of women- and youth-led agribusinesses by improving access to finance, technology, and market linkages, while addressing harmful social norms and promoting leadership through partnerships with government bodies and women’s rights organisations.
The RISE project is co-designed and implemented by MEDA in partnership with Sahel Consulting, Development Exchange Centre, Emeraid Capital, Extension Africa, Women in Business Forum, and the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria.
The organisers said the initiative reflects growing cooperation between international partners and Nigerian institutions to support inclusive agriculture, enterprise growth, and long-term food security nationwide.
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