Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), in collaboration with the Nayaba Women Manufacturers Association, has established a Regional Packaging and Production Workshop in Niamey, the capital of Niger.

Niger faces significant challenges in food security, national stability, and energy needs. The industrialization process, a cornerstone of development, is hindered by various obstacles. Despite the country’s economy being largely based on agriculture and animal husbandry, even basic production activities like packaging cannot be performed locally due to technological limitations.

In this context, TİKA established the “Regional Packaging and Production Workshop” in cooperation with the Nayaba Women Manufacturers Association to support the participation of women manufacturers in Niger’s industrial production processes.

The approximately 200-square-meter semi-closed hangar of the Nayaba Women Manufacturers Association in Niamey was renovated and transformed into a modern production facility. The facility now includes training classrooms, boutique spaces, and additional production areas, along with machines for shell-crushing, grinding, oil extraction, drying, roasting, labeling, and dating to process agricultural products. The workshop is also equipped with furniture, such as tables and shelves, as well as air conditioning and refrigeration units.

Daily capacity increased from 50 liters to 60 liters

The workshop opening was attended by Can Onat Atış, 3rd Secretary of the Embassy of the Republic of Türkiye in Niamey; Tanju Polat, TİKA’s Coordinator in Niamey; Rabi Arzika, President of the Nayaba Women Manufacturers Association; and many Nigerien women producers.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Rabi Arzika, President of the Nayaba Women Manufacturers Association, emphasized the significant increase in production capacity thanks to the support provided by TİKA. Arzika stated, “With TİKA’s support, our daily peanut oil production capacity has increased from 50 liters to 60 liters per hour. We would like to express our gratitude to the Republic of Türkiye and the Turkish people for this invaluable support.”

Strong support for women producers

The Regional Packaging and Production Workshop, established as part of the project, will serve the 63 members of the Nayaba Women Manufacturers Association, as well as hundreds of women producers across Niamey. Thanks to the workshop, women producers now have the opportunity to process, package, and label their products more efficiently and in accordance with industry standards.

The project aims to reduce time and labor losses in agricultural production and packaging, ultimately helping to prevent market losses.