UN Women and the Islamic Organisation for Food Security (IOFS) have launched a new initiative aimed at strengthening women’s participation and leadership in Nigeria’s cassava value chain, in a move to promote inclusive agricultural development and gender equality.

Speaking at a two-day stakeholder meeting, UN Women Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms. Beatrice Eyong, said empowering women in agriculture is both a social and economic priority. She noted that bridging gender gaps could boost yields by 30 percent, raise overall food production by 4 percent, and reduce malnutrition by 17 percent.

Ms. Eyong described cassava as a climate-resilient crop crucial to women’s livelihoods, but highlighted that many women are still confined to low-income, labour-intensive roles. The new partnership, she said, will provide access to credit, cooperatives, markets, and climate-smart technologies.

“At UN Women, we have seen that when women farmers are supported with the right tools, policies, and opportunities, they lift entire households and communities,” Ms. Eyong said, adding that the collaboration aims to place women at the centre of efforts to achieve food security and climate resilience.

IOFS Representative, Dr. William Agyei-Manu, said the initiative builds on a joint study conducted in Abia, Oyo, Nasarawa, and the Federal Capital Territory, which identified key gaps in women’s access to resources, technology, and infrastructure.

He noted that despite Nigeria producing over 63 million metric tonnes of cassava annually, productivity remains low due to structural and gender-based barriers.

Dr. Agyei-Manu added that the organisations are also designing a regional programme, “Women’s Empowerment through Climate-Resilient Agriculture Value Chains,” to be expanded across West and Central Africa, with cassava as the starting focus.