By joshua 
The Kogi Enterprise Development Agency (KEDA) has launched the ‘Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato (OFSP)’ programme, with the training and empowerment of women and youths in the state with the call on the participants not to allow history repeat itself.
The State Governor, Alh. Yahaya Bello, who flagged-off the programme, congratulated the head and management of KEDA for the positive impacts they have recorded within two years of its operation, described Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato as money spinning venture if we’ll harnessed.
Bello, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Afolashade Ayoade, urged the beneficiaries to take the training very seriously as it would increase their socioeconomic wellbeing, the state and the nation at large.
The governor assured the agency of Government’s support to all its empowerment programmes especially as the 70 per cent beneficiaries were women.
He urged the beneficiaries to put up a new effort to ensure they achieved the best of the OFSP programme to set a new record for products’ exportation.
”Let us not repeat the error of Cocoa and Palm tree, let us set a new record of ensuring that the OFSP will be produced to the maximum not just for Kogi but Nigeria at large, and for exportation.
”Let our focus be towards exporting the OFSP products out of Nigeria,” he said.
Earlier, the Managing Director of KEDA, Hajia Rekiyat Sanni, said the launching of the OFSP, the training and empowerment programme for women and youths was organised in commemoration of the two years of operation of the agency.
She said the agency was established by law under the State Ministry of Commerce and Industry, to facilitate and enhance recovery of Small and Medium Enterprises in the state.
She stressed that the vision of the agency was to enhance businesses of the people of Kogi State especially women under cooperative society, saying the agency had been operating an open door policy.
She noted that 70 per cent of the beneficiaries of their programmes were women, and urged beneficiaries to listen attentively to get all the value addition on the OFSP products and embrace it.
In their separate comments, the State Commissioners for Agric, and Commerce & Industry; Mr David Apeh and Mr Gabriel Olofu, respectively, commended KEDA for the initiative.
They both stressed that the OFSP products have great economic values which if adequately harnessed, would go a long way to boost the economic of the state and Nigeria at large.
Apeh assured that adequate attention would be given to the OFSP production by the State Government, adding that his Ministry would be partnering with KEDA and other relevant stakeholders to get the desired results.
Sanni disclosed that about 50,000 persons have been registered and sensitised by the agency for small and medium enterprise (SMEs) across the state.
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