The BATN Foundation has extended its EMPOWER-Her Poultry Project to Anambra State, providing 200 rural women with 4,000 Noiler birds, feeds, medications, training and technical support to establish sustainable poultry businesses and improve household incomes.
The initiative, which followed an earlier rollout in Jigawa State, was officially launched at the Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre, Awka, with government officials, community leaders, project partners and beneficiaries in attendance.
The project targets women from Okija, Ogidi, Okpoko and Akpu communities, equipping them with productive assets and the skills required to manage viable poultry enterprises.
As part of the intervention, beneficiaries received practical training in poultry management, business development and enterprise sustainability across four local government areas: Ihiala, Idemili North, Ogbaru and Orumba South. The training was conducted before the official handover to prepare participants for effective management of their businesses.
Speaking at the ceremony, the General Manager of BATN Foundation, Oludare Odusanya, said the expansion reflected the Foundation’s confidence in women’s capacity to drive economic growth and community development.
He said empowering women economically would strengthen households, improve livelihoods and create wider benefits for their communities.
Odusanya explained that the initiative went beyond distributing poultry birds, noting that the combination of productive assets, capacity building and technical support was designed to help beneficiaries sustain and grow their businesses.
“Our goal is not simply to distribute birds. We want to see thriving businesses, increased incomes, stronger household resilience and women who are empowered to take advantage of opportunities within the agricultural value chain,” he said.
Also speaking, the Anambra State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs Esther Chinyere Onyekesi, commended the Foundation for extending the programme to the state.
Onyekesi described the intervention as timely, saying it would expand economic opportunities for women and strengthen household livelihoods. She added that women’s economic empowerment remained important.
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