BATN FOUNDATION GIVES 200 JIGAWA WOMEN POULTRY ASSETS TO BOOST LIVELIHOODS

The BATN Foundation has provided 200 women in Jigawa State with poultry birds, feed and medication under its EMPOWER-Her Poultry Project, aimed at helping beneficiaries increase their household income and improve food security. The intervention, launched in Dutse, the state capital, on September 4, 2026, followed training for the women in poultry production and enterprise management.

The project is being implemented in partnership with the Jigawa State Government and other development partners, with a focus on supporting women in rural communities with productive assets and practical skills needed to establish sustainable poultry businesses. Each beneficiary received Noiler birds, poultry feed and medication, alongside training designed to help them properly manage the birds and run their poultry activities as income-generating enterprises.

Speaking during the inauguration, the Project Manager of BATN Foundation, Adetola Oniyelu, said the initiative was designed to provide more than agricultural inputs by creating opportunities for the beneficiaries to develop sustainable sources of income. Oniyelu said the project would enable the women to build productive businesses, contribute to household food needs and strengthen their economic resilience while creating livelihood opportunities within their communities.

The foundation said poultry farming could provide the beneficiaries with regular income through the sale of eggs and meat while also improving access to animal protein and nutrition for their families. Government officials at the event urged the women to regard the poultry birds and other materials provided as productive assets and to manage their businesses responsibly so that the intervention could deliver lasting benefits beyond the initial support.

The event was attended by the Jigawa State Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Muttaka Namadi; Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hadiza Abdulwahab; Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Auwalu Ado Shehu; and other stakeholders. The foundation said the initiative was part of its wider efforts to promote women's economic empowerment, strengthen participation in the agricultural value chain and support sustainable livelihoods in rural communities.