Lagos, Ecobank Partners To Create 2000 Jobs In Fisheries Value Chain
Left: Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Lagos State, Hakeem Adeniji; Commissioner for Agriculture, Lagos State, Abisola Olusanya; President, Lagos State Fishermen Cooperative Society, Mr Adekunle Fasasi; Head, Public Sector and Agric Business, Commercial Banking, Ecobank Nigeria, Mojisola Oguntoyinbo and Area Manager, Lagos Mainland, Margaret Fawibe, at the presentations of fibre glass boats with outboard engines and other ancillary fishing equipment to fish farmers in Lagos on Wednesday
Ecobank Nigeria is partnering Lagos State Government to uplift the artisanal fisheries value chain for the sector to create over 2,000 jobs and produce 4,531 metric tonnes of fish annually.
To achieve this, 34 fibreglass boats with outboard engines and other ancillary fishing equipment have been presented to cooperative societies of 680 youth fishermen in a partnership to develop business models suitable for the fishermen.
Both Ecobank and Old Mutual Assurance are also provide banking services, track cash flow in the business and aid fleet expansion for the fishermen to sustain the business and the partnership.
Abisola Olusanya, the Commissioner for Agriculture said the empowerment was under the 2021 Agricultural Value Chains Enterprise Activation Programme, inaugurated by Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu in July as part of the government’s commitment to supporting the fishery value chain.
Under the partnership, each cooperative group comprising 20 members would receive a boat to enable the achievement of over 2,000 jobs in the upstream and downstream sub-sectors of the artisanal fisheries value chain and also produce 4,531 metric tonnes of fish annually
The commissioner further explained that the partnership with Ecobank was aimed at monitoring the activities of each cooperative group to ensure that they make judicious use of the equipment.
“Today, we are distributing the fibreglass boat to 34 cooperative groups free of charge, under the 2021 Agricultural Value Chains Enterprise Activation Programme and we will monitor your activities to ensure that you utilise the equipment very well and also expand and increase the number of your fleet with the support of the financial institution”.
“The banks are here to plan your business and increase opportunities for the generations to come. We want you all to grow your business and become multinational companies. We don’t want people to come from Japan, the Netherlands and other foreign countries to talk about fish more than our people from the local fishing communities,” she said.
The Head, Agriculture Desk, Ecobank Nigeria, Moji Oguntoyinbo, said it was an intentional action for the bank to partner with Lagos state, due to its coastal region with a lot of opportunities in fisheries.
“We have seen Lagos state as a coastal region with a lot of opportunities in fisheries and we are delighted that the government has picked us as a focus in food sustainability to start development in this sector. Today, we are very delighted to be a partner on this laudable project. This is an intentional investment and incentive to fishermen in Lagos, to promote this sector to the extent of making it possible for fish production and exportation, in the very near future, from the state”.
She said Ecobank will replicate the model plan and action in other coastal regions of Nigeria, urging the beneficiaries to be consistently focused to ensure that the project would continue to revolve and would be extended to many more beneficiaries in the nearest future.
Also, Adekunle Fasasi, President, Lagos State Fishermen Cooperative Society promised to increase their number with the new empowerment.
“Lagos is a coastal region; we have oceans and seas and it is important that we take advantage of this for economic benefits. I am particularly happy that this initiative is focused on the youths because these are the people that will take over from the aged fishermen.
