Women farmers get marketing hubs to boost earnings, market access

The Women Farmers Advancement Network (WOFAN), through its WOFAN-ICON2 Project, has established more than 105 marketing hubs across Nigeria, creating thousands of jobs and expanding economic opportunities for women, youths and persons with disabilities.

The initiative, supported by the Mastercard Foundation, is designed to connect smallholder farmers and processors to structured markets while promoting value addition, financial inclusion and sustainable employment in rural communities.

Speaking on the impact of the hubs, WOFAN Group Executive Board Chair and Country Director of the WOFAN-ICON2 Project, Dr Salamatu Garba, said the facilities were more than trading centres, describing them as development platforms that connect farmers to reliable markets and create dignified employment.

Garba, who was represented at the inauguration by WOFAN Finance Officer, Abdulrasheed Abdulazeez, said the hubs had opened opportunities for women processors who previously depended on middlemen to sell their products, often receiving limited profits and having little influence over the value chains.

“Today, these hubs have become vibrant centres of economic activity where youths work as traders, loaders and service providers, while women are deeply involved in processing and value addition,” she said.

She spoke during the inauguration of a new marketing hub for women processors in Chiromawa, Garun Mallam Local Government Area of Kano State.

The Chiromawa facility is the fourth WOFAN marketing hub in Kano State, following similar interventions in Tudun Wada, Kura and Karfi.

The hubs have become centres for the trading of agricultural commodities, with the Tudun Wada hub reportedly facilitating the movement of more than 50 trailers of goods daily to other parts of Nigeria and neighbouring Niger Republic.

Also, Hajia Maimuna Lawal, Strategies, Innovation and Sustainability (SIS) at WOFAN, said the new hub would enable women to take greater control of their marketing activities and apply negotiation skills acquired through WOFAN programmes.

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She said the initiative would improve women’s profitability, strengthen their participation in decision-making and contribute to the development of local economies and food systems.

The Chiromawa Market leader, Mustapha Haruna, welcomed the intervention, saying it would benefit not only women beneficiaries but the wider community.

WOFAN Kano State Desk Officer, Dayyabu Abubakar, said the hub was designed to promote economic inclusion by providing accessible infrastructure for women-led businesses.

He explained that the facility comprises three shops, with one serving as an office where members can discuss challenges and develop business strategies, while the other two are dedicated to commercial activities.

Meanwhile, youth leaders and community partners said the marketing hubs had helped reduce idleness among young people by providing legitimate employment opportunities.

A youth mega-cluster leader, Tasiu Ibrahim, said the provision of modern rice and grain-processing machines, coupled with solar-powered lighting, had enabled women and youths to work in shifts during the day and at night.

Community partners also said women had become increasingly involved in both farming and processing, while persons with disabilities were engaged in activities such as jute-bag production.

The WOFAN-ICON2 Project has also provided improved seeds, fertilisers, agrochemicals, processing equipment and starter packs to beneficiaries across Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Nasarawa and the Federal Capital Territory.

The five-year project aligns with the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works–Nigeria Strategy and seeks to create sustainable employment opportunities, particularly for women, youths and persons with disabilities.