FABDA Seals TAENPROWIZ Fish Deal for ECOWAS Youth Cooperative

By Kenechukwu Ofomah

Awka

A franchise contract that will see an Anambra-based table fish production group, Elite Cooperative Society Limited, adopt the TAENPROWIZ Fish Production Business System and Technology to commercialize its operations was on Tuesday signed in Awka, the Anambra State capital.

The contract was brokered by the Fisheries and Aquaculture Business Development Agency (FABDA) between the cooperative society and the franchisor, TeeMartins ICT Limited.

At the contract-signing ceremony held at the FABDA office in Awka, the President of Elite Cooperative Society, Mr. Chukwuma Onyekwe, signed on behalf of the franchisee, while Mr. Cosmas Ezenwanne signed on behalf of the franchisor.

Under the agreement, the cooperative, comprising youths trained under the ECOWAS-TAENPROWIZ Youth Training 1.0 on Table Fish Production Business, will transition into a commercial fish production enterprise operating under a structured, professional, and technology-driven framework.

Speaking during the ceremony, the Coordinator of the TAENPROWIZ Production Partnership Center, Mr. Emeka Iloghalu, described the franchise contract as a major milestone in efforts to boost aquaculture production, create jobs for youths, and strengthen food security through an innovative fish production business model.

He explained that the cooperative had demonstrated commitment and readiness to contribute to Anambra’s fish production targets, thereby qualifying for the franchise opportunity.

Iloghalu further explained that while the initial ECOWAS training programme focused solely on skills development and technical empowerment without financial handouts, FABDA facilitated the formation of cooperatives by collaborating with the Ministry of Industry and the Director of Cooperatives to organize additional training on cooperative movement and formation.

According to him, six table fish production cooperatives emerged from the training programme, with Elite Cooperative becoming the first to sign the TAENPROWIZ franchise contract.

“This contract is to enable them to transition into professional fish production using the TAENPROWIZ Fish Production Business System and Technology. They have positioned themselves to contribute meaningfully to the GDP of Anambra State through table fish production,” Iloghalu said.

He noted that the state, through FABDA, has outlined a three-phase target for table fish production, beginning with a short-term goal of adding 51 million kilograms annually to achieve local self-sufficiency.

He added that the agency’s medium-term target is to increase production to 675 million kilograms annually to support industrial raw material demand and export growth, while the long-term goal is to position Anambra as the leading fish producer in the ECOWAS region, with a projected output of at least 1.35 billion kilograms annually.

“This is not the conventional fish farming system. It is an all-encompassing model designed to transition participants into professional fish production. Following this signing, the cooperative will move into a prepared production facility,” he added.

Iloghalu also expressed hope that the Anambra State Government’s youth empowerment initiative, the ‘One Youth, Two Skills’ programme, would provide funding and other forms of support to youths trained under the ECOWAS-TAENPROWIZ programme who have formed cooperatives.

In his remarks, the President of Elite Cooperative Society, Mr. Chukwuma Onyekwe, described the agreement as a major milestone for members of the cooperative.

“It has not been easy since we started this journey, and we have faced several challenges. We believe the introduction of the TAENPROWIZ System and Technology will make the difference and help us achieve our vision of becoming a major player in the fish production business,” he said.

Also speaking, the Managing Director of TeeMartins ICT Limited, Mr. Cosmas Ezenwanne, said the contract would enable the cooperative to deploy the high-precision TAENPROWIZ Fish Production Business System to improve efficiency and increase throughput.

“The idea is that they will use our system to run their fish production business with precision, improve efficiency, and increase throughput. This is a long-term programme, and we look forward to more franchisees adopting this system to advance their production,” Ezenwanne said.