From subsistence farmer to state-level budget advocate, Mama Oyo’s story shows what becomes possible when women gain the tools to demand their fair share of government investment.
Roseline Atinuke Akinbade — known as Mama Oyo — joined the Small Scale Women Farmers Organization in Nigeria (SWOFON) in 2016 and discovered that the government’s agriculture budget could work for her community. With training from IBP’s SPARK program, SWOFON uncovered a critical finding: women handle 75% of Nigeria’s food processing but receive almost none of the agriculture funding.
Armed with data and determination, Mama Oyo began engaging directly with Oyo State’s Ministry of Agriculture — building a partnership with Abimbola Agbaje, Head of Women in Agriculture, that transformed advocacy into lasting government commitment.
In 2024, for the first time, allocated agriculture funds reached smallholder women farmers in Oyo State, delivering farming tools, equipment, and training to thousands of women who grow Nigeria’s food.
This is what budget transparency looks like in practice: communities don’t just demand a seat at the table — they help set the agenda, shape the budget, and harvest the results.