 The Youths Enterprise Development and Innovation Society (YEDIS), a non-governmental organisation, has equipped rural women with digital literacy, artificial intelligence (AI) and agro-processing skills to boost food production, increase incomes and improve market access. The initiative, which trains women in palm oil processing, gari production and other agro-food enterprises, has received international recognition after its flagship programme, "Digital Capacity Building and AI Integration for Rural Women Agribusiness Processors in Nigeria," was published on the South-South Galaxy Platform of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC).
In a statement issued in Ilorin, Kwara State, Founder and Executive Director of YEDIS, Alhaji Rafiu Akinpelu, described the recognition as a validation of locally driven solutions to global development challenges. According to him, the initiative, implemented across underserved communities in Osun State and the South-West, demonstrates how digital technology, AI and entrepreneurship can tackle poverty, unemployment, gender inequality and food insecurity while strengthening local food systems. Akinpelu noted that the programme gained international attention after it was presented at the World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings Civil Society Policy Forum in Washington, D.C., in April 2026, where discussions focused on the role of artificial intelligence and digital agriculture in creating jobs in developing countries. He added that the initiative supports several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including poverty reduction, zero hunger, gender equality and decent work, while calling on government, development partners and the private sector to support its expansion across Nigeria and other African countries. Source: GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER
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