As TAGDev 2.0 Program works to reduce unemployment and post-harvest losses in Nigeria, over 100 smallholder agro-processors have been equipped with skills to not only grow their businesses, but to create jobs for others along the agro-processing value chain.
From 2nd to 3rd July, 2026, the two-day training was organised by the National Stored Products Research Institute (NSPRI) in collaboration with TAGDev 2.0 Program implemented by the University of Port Harcourt, with support from RUFORUM and in partnership with Mastercard Foundation.
Held under the theme “Enabling and Creating Jobs for Smallholder Agro-Processors”, the workshop brought together Agro-processors and representatives from the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Institute of Export Operations and Management (IEOM) and other agencies supporting agricultural exports.
Facilitators emphasized that job creation in agriculture goes beyond farming. Participants were taught how to outsource different stages of value addition to build entire ecosystems of employment. Example: A fish processor can outsource fish killing and cleaning to one group, focus on drying and packaging, and outsource branding and distribution to another. Hence, creating 3-4 jobs from one enterprise.
Participants were trained on 5 key areas:
✅ Value addition and enterprise development in cassava processing
✅ Profitable fish and Snail processing for income generation
✅ Business and market linkage for micro agro-Processors
✅ Production of shelf-stable flavored pap
✅ Value addition through effective handling and storage for wealth creation.
The training combined theory with practical sessions in cassava processing, fish and snail processing, and flavored pap production.
Participants also toured NSPRI facilities to see modern processing equipment in action.
Speaking at the event, facilitators charged participants to think like entrepreneurs: “Don’t do everything alone. Break down your process, employ people, and build businesses that employ communities.”
The training ended with the presentation of certificates to all participants.
With this intervention, TAGDev 2.0 Program and NSPRI are building a new generation of agro-entrepreneurs who will reduce post-harvest losses, increase incomes, and create jobs across the entire agro-processing value chain in Nigeria.
