Crown Flour Mill (CFM) Limited, the flour milling
subsidiary of Olam Agri, a leading agribusiness in food, feed, and fibre, has
successfully empowered a group of indigent women by equipping them with
valuable skills in baking. The beneficiaries of the empowerment initiative
tagged Crown Flour Angels (CFA) were presented with the National Business and Technical
Examinations Board (NABTEB) examination certificates at an event organised by
the flour milling business on Friday, September 23, 2022, in Lagos.
The
training and certification sponsored by CFM will offer the women the
opportunity to take up employment in the hospitality sector, even as a good
number of them are expected to set up their very own baking outfits.
Speaking
about the Crown Flour Angels initiative, launched in 2021, Ashish Pande, the
Country Head for Olam Agri Nigeria, said, “We are committed to enriching the
lives of the people across our operating market by providing nutritious, safe
and affordable food for the population as well as enabling the actualization of
the fine aspirations of the individuals within the population by supporting the
economic development agenda of the government.”
According
to Pande, “The Crown Flour Angels initiative is one of the valuable levers we
are pulling continuously to deliver on the Seeds for the Future programme, our
signature value chain development initiative that focuses on supporting farming
communities, enabling wider education and skill development for young people,
empowering indigent women and promoting health and nutrition across the
country.” He congratulated the women and urged them to make the best use of the
skills they have acquired at the baking academy.
The Lagos
State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs Cecilia Bolaji
Dada, who was the special guest at the event and presented the certificates to
the women, commended CFM for its economic development focus and strong support
for women.
“The
Lagos State Government is aware of the prevailing economic situation and has
been initiating valuable schemes that focus on empowering the active segment to
boost their productivity and incomes levels. The CFM Crown Flour Angels
Initiative would add to the various poverty alleviation and empowerment efforts
embarked on by the administration of our hardworking Governor, His Excellency
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. On this note, I thank CFM for being a worthy
partner of our dear state,” said the Commissioner.
Mrs Bola
Adeniji, the General Manager/Head of Marketing, CFM, highlighted the importance
of the CFA initiative. She explained that the contribution of women to the
growth of developing nations is receiving growing attention and that research
has shown that a 1% increase in women’s contribution to an economy often raises
the level of GDP by 58.4%.
On behalf
of the beneficiaries of the initiative, Ms Samuel Oluwaseun Oluwatosin, also a
participant in the training scheme, appreciated the efforts of the
agribusiness. She said the training they received would economically uplift
them and their families and reinvigorate a desire to contribute to the nation’s
economy positively.
A
three-day accelerated bakers’ training was organised in Lagos to kick-start the
project. The training was facilitated by an International Cake Exploration
Société (ICES) expert, amongst others. So far, CFM has trained over 120 ICES
women mostly selected from the lower rung of the socioeconomic spectrum.
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