It was reported that the training was undertaken by Foremost Development Services Limited (FDS), a development and sustainability firm which serves as an intermediary organisation for the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil in the nation’s oil palm industry.

Fatai Afolabi, managing consultant and chief executive officer (FDS) disclosed this in Benin City at a one-day Community Outreach and Engagement Programme (COEP) for palm oil stakeholders from states such as Cross River, Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, among others.

Afolabi said the community outreach programme was designed by RSPO to serve as an interface between the oil palm communities and oil palm companies and growers.

He explained that during the first engagement programme, which focused on RSPO principles and Criteria 2018, held between February 2023 and July 2023, a total of 407 stakeholders were trained.

He added that at the programme stakeholders were drawn from local communities including elders, women, youths, community-based organizations and oil palm smallholder farmers, government agencies and oil palm growers.

Others beneficiaries are NGOs into environmental and social advocacy, civil society organizations, media and financial institutions.

Afolabi, added that during the second engagement which was on Grievance and dispute resolution mechanism, held between September 2023 and February 2024, a total of 514 participants attended the programme, with 278 of them participating in both trainings.

He explained that the participants which are NGOs, media, public sector, oil palm growers and companies were drawn from the South-South States and Abuja.

Source: Business Daily