Capacity Building on Food Processing in Gombe and Borno States, Nigeria
Zia spices conducted a comprehensive Capacity Building Training for over 27,000 food processors and businesses in northeastern Nigeria, specifically in Gombe & Borno. The training focused on peanut & Cowpea processing as well as the production of spices from locally sourced natural herbs. The training initiative spanned both Gombe & Borno states, running concurrently with Zia Spices' staff, lead facilitators & field agents deployed to target communities. It covered crucial aspects such as life skills, cowpea processing, groundnut processing and spice production.
Business Mentorship Programme
The program highlighted Zia Spices' contribution to promoting trade, supporting small-scale businesses, and fostering growth through effective marketing. Technical sessions covered processing and packaging for cowpea, groundnut, and spices, focusing on products like Akara, Moimoi, cooking oil, and peanut butter, alongside improved techniques. Business development training included marketing surveys, record-keeping, branding, and packaging. A detailed session on peanut oil processing emphasized vitamin A fortification, its benefits for infants and mothers, and technical guidelines. The program concluded with guidance on business formalization through CAC and regulatory registration with NAFDAC and SON.
Nutritional Campaign to Over 12,000 Women of Childbearing Age, Others
Zia Spices, in partnership with the RRA Feed the Future program by Mercy Corps, funded by USAID, has successfully conducted a comprehensive nutrition campaign aimed at improving the health of over 12,000 women of childbearing age and their families in northeastern Nigeria. The initiative focused on empowering mothers of children aged 0-6 months, 7-24 months, and 25-59 months, as well as grandmothers, with essential knowledge on nutrition and healthy food practices. By providing access to natural spices and food products, Zia Spices played a key role in supporting these women to improve family nutrition and combat malnutrition in the region.
Over 1000 Women Empowered to Start Home Gardening
Zia Spices is proud to have empowered over 1,000 women with vegetable seedlings to start their own backyard home gardens! This initiative, in partnership with Feed the Future under the Rural Resilience Activity with Mercy Corps, funded by USAID, aims to boost food security and create wealth for our beneficiaries. The enthusiastic women who received the seedlings expressed their heartfelt gratitude to Zia Spices for the support and promised to plant them as directed to achieve the desired goal.