No fewer than 50 young farmers in Enugu State were trained on Sunday on the use of social media platforms to market and sell agricultural produce.
The training was organised by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), in partnership with the Federal Government, under the Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP).
Participants were drawn from five benefiting local government areas: Aninri, Enugu East, Isi Uzo, Nkanu East and Udenu.
Speaking at the event, the State Knowledge Management and Communication Officer, Mr Hilary Ali, urged participants to take the training seriously and fully embrace the digital marketing lessons.
Ali also charged VCDP liaison officers to ensure that the knowledge gained was extended to other cooperative members beyond the training venue.
One of the facilitators, Mr Christian Nwangene, said the training was designed to equip participants with practical skills to leverage social media for income generation.
“We are here to guide you on how to use social media platforms to market your produce and generate income,” Nwangene said.
He explained that the initiative formed part of the programme’s exit strategy aimed at helping beneficiaries sustain their livelihoods after the intervention period.
According to him, participants would learn how to create business-focused accounts, develop engaging content, grow online audiences and convert followers into customers.
Nwangene introduced platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, describing social media as a powerful tool for business growth and market expansion.
He encouraged participants to move beyond posting personal content to showcasing farming activities and agricultural products online.
He also highlighted key principles for success, including consistency, honest branding and prompt responses to customer enquiries.
Another facilitator, Mr Michael Chirotam, spoke on digital marketing strategies, stressing the importance of understanding target audiences, analyzing trends and using multiple platforms to boost sales.
Earlier, the State Programme Coordinator, Mr Edward Isiwu, urged participants to make meaningful use of the opportunity.
“We expect many of you to share success stories arising from this training,” Isiwu said.
A beneficiary, Mr Okwudili Samuel Ndubisi from Aninri Local Government Area, thanked the organizers for the capacity-building initiative.
“This is my first training of this kind. I mainly used my phone for chatting and watching videos.
“Now I have learned how to create a business page, which I will develop to attract customers,” he said.
The training featured hands-on sessions during which participants created Facebook business pages, updated WhatsApp business profiles and produced short promotional videos on TikTok.
Participants remained actively engaged, with many successfully setting up functional business pages before the end of the training.
