Foundation Empowers Gashaka Women with Rice Mill to Boost Conservation Efforts

Wole Ayodele in Jalingo

Africa Nature Investors (ANI) Foundation, operators of Gashaka Gumti National Park, has provided several economic empowerment initiatives for women in Gashaka including a thriving rice mill.

The economic empowerment initiatives, according to the foundation, was part of its strategic plan to boost the standard of living of the communities hosting the park through gainful employment opportunities thereby helping the foundation’s conservation efforts.

Some of the empowerment initiatives includes a Savings and Loans Scheme through which interest free loans have been provided for over 2000 women and young men across over 40 villages and communities.

Similarly, the foundation has trained bee farmers to acquire modern bee keeping methods as well as provide tool kits and hives which has gone a long way to change the economic fortunes of the beneficiaries.

The latest of the economic empowerment initiatives is the provision of a rice milling machine to the Unity Women Group at Goje in Gashaka Local Government Area which has changed the narratives for the women in particular and the entire community as a whole.

Fielding questions from newsmen, leader of the Unity Group, Juliana Maigida disclosed that their living standards have changed since the milling machine was procured for them.

According to her, “Since we started this group, ANI has always been around to guide and assist us in all we do. Moreso, since they bought this rice milling machine for us, our situation has improved greatly. Our living standards have changed.

“Before now, having three square meals in our houses was always difficult but that is no longer the case since ANI gave us this rice milling machine.

“We were able to save over N600,000 in the first six months. I must confess that our lives and those of our children and husbands and our community at large, have drastically improved”

Also speaking about the far-reaching impact of the plant, the operator of the milling machine, Bello Ali said the operation has provided a source of income not just for members of the Unity Group but also for those who work at the site.

“Since I started operating this machine it has been one success story or the other because I have never encountered any problem with the machine. I work with it all through the week, but Mondays and Tuesdays are usually the busiest days of the week for us here.

“Due to the volume of work, I engaged four assistants and each of them earn between N1,500 and N2,500 daily besides their feeding allowances. Frankly speaking, I must confess to you that my co-workers and I are comfortable and we really appreciate ANI for this great gesture.”

The Community Relations Manager of ANI Foundation, David Peter who spoke on the enterprise said the project is one of the ways through which the foundation empowers the women and provides employment for the wider community.

He said: “Once the Unity Savings and Loans Group was established by the women, ANI donated the rice milling machine to them, so they can earn income for their families and provide employment to others in their community.

“ANI bought the rice milling machine in October 2023 and also gave the Unity Group an interest free loan.  The women found the site for the machine and built the structure to house it.  They are fully in charge of operating the rice mill and process the rice produced by farmers in the village. 

“With the money from the rice mill, they have repaid the loan and continue to support their families.  They also add value to the rice produced by local farmers increasing their incomes too, so the whole community benefits.”