Capacity Building and Livelihoods Improvement of Women Fish processors of Tatabu Community around Ndakolowu Lake, Nigeria

Abstract

Enhancing the capacity of the poor in rural fishing communities is pivotal to improving their livelihoods and poverty reduction. Hence, the study on performance of the poor women fish processors cooperative society of Tatabu Community, around Ndakolowo Lake, Nigeria was carried out to provide basic information on the project. Purposive sampling technique was used to select 32 members of the cooperative society while data were collected through semi-structured questionnaire and focus group discussion. Descriptive statistics of frequency distribution, percentages, mean and standard deviation were used for data analysis. The study revealed that all the poor women attendance to meeting was regular, all (100%) agreed to meet once a month. About (93.8%) indicated prompt attendance to meeting once a month. Larger percentage (75.0%, n=24) remitted their loan timely compared to (25.0%, n=8) on periodical. Most members activities financed involved marketing and trading such as fish (94.0%, n=30) and grains (84.0%, n=27). Cooperative members (21.9%) had above N9000 increase in monthly income after the project implementation. It is apparent from the present study that cooperative initiatives in the fisheries sector respond to the needs of the poorest of the poor and the most vulnerable in fishing communities.

Key words: Cooperative, fishing communities, Poor women in Nigeria