A cooperative of twelve women from Delta State, who were trained through ICDA's Women in Farming and Enterprise (WIFE) programme, has won the South South Regional Agribusiness Excellence Award for their palm oil processing enterprise — a recognition that speaks to the extraordinary outcomes ICDA's gender-focused programming delivers. The cooperative, which goes by the name Ndi Ọcha Processing Cooperative, began as a WIFE cohort in 2022 when twelve farmers from neighbouring villages came together for ICDA's community-based training cluster. By the end of the programme, they had formed a legally registered cooperative, pooled resources to acquire a small palm oil press, and begun selling refined palm oil to urban markets in Asaba and Warri under a branded label. Three years on, the cooperative employs 28 workers during peak production season, supplies a regional supermarket chain, and has reinvested profits into expanding their processing capacity and an apprenticeship program for younger women in their communities. "When we started, people laughed at us," said the cooperative chairwoman. "Twelve women with no formal education, talking about branding and supply chains. But ICDA taught us that our knowledge, our land, and our labour had value — we just needed to organise and professionalise." ICDA Director Dr Osita Aniemeka congratulated the cooperative: "This award belongs to these twelve remarkable women first. But it also belongs to everyone who believed that rural women, given the right tools and support, are among Africa's most powerful economic agents. WIFE is living proof." ICDA is currently enrolling new WIFE cohorts across Delta, Anambra, and Enugu States. Women interested in participating can contact ICDA or speak to a community facilitator.
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