The Royal Seal: His Imperial Majesty Ooni Ojaja II Accepts Nomination as Royal Father of the UNESCO REF YWA Champions
UNESCO REF Media Centre | Young Women in Agriculture
The Ooni of Ife lends the authority of one of Africa’s most revered thrones to the national campaign that empowers young women to lead in food production, innovation and community resilience.
ILE-IFE, Nigeria. In an act that unites the authority of one of Africa’s most venerable thrones with a national ambition for food security, His Imperial Majesty Oba Adeyeye Enitan Babatunde Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, the Ooni of Ife, has formally accepted nomination as Royal Father of the UNESCO REF Young Women in Agriculture (YWA) Champions.
Global alignmentAlignement mondialThe global commitments this story advances. Open to see how.
- SDG2
SDG 2, Zero Hunger (primary)
ProvisionTarget 2.3: double the productivity and incomes of small-scale producers, in particular women
How the royal patronage respondsTraining, certification and income for young women in agriculture
- SDG5
SDG 5, Gender Equality
ProvisionTarget 5.5: women’s leadership; Target 5.a: equal rights to economic resources
How the royal patronage respondsYoung women as leaders of food production
- SDG1
SDG 1, No Poverty
ProvisionTarget 1.4: equal rights to economic resources
How the royal patronage respondsIncome opportunities for participants
- SDG8
SDG 8, Decent Work
ProvisionTarget 8.6: reduce youth not in employment, education or training
How the royal patronage respondsAgribusiness employment for women aged 18 to 35
- MP
Maputo Protocol
ProvisionArticle 15: right to food security
How the royal patronage respondsWomen at the centre of national food security
- AU
African Union Agenda 2063
ProvisionAspiration 6: development driven by women and youth
How the royal patronage respondsYoung women as drivers of agricultural transformation
- UNESCO
UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage
ProvisionThe role of communities and traditional knowledge
How the royal patronage respondsTraditional authority mobilised for sustainable development
Ile-Ife holds a singular place in Yoruba civilisation as its ancestral cradle, and the Ooni’s throne commands reverence across Nigeria and the African diaspora. By extending royal patronage to the YWA Champions, the young women leading Nigeria’s agricultural transformation, His Imperial Majesty lends the programme a cultural legitimacy that no policy instrument alone can confer.
A covenant of heritage and progress
Une alliance entre patrimoine et progrès
Across Nigeria, traditional institutions remain among the most trusted authorities in community life. Their endorsement opens doors to land, to community mobilisation and to the social acceptance on which the participation of young women in agriculture so often depends. The Ooni’s patronage therefore offers the Champions belonging, dignity and protection, and summons communities to stand behind their work.
The role sits within the wider national effort on food security led by the Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and complements the First Lady’s Food Bank Initiative, which addresses hunger among vulnerable groups.
Royal words of paternal commitment
Paroles royales d’engagement paternel
“As Royal Father to the Champions, I embrace these daughters of our land with pride and responsibility. Their hands will till the soil, their vision will feed the nation, and their courage will shape the future.”
His Imperial Majesty Ooni Ojaja II, Ooni of Ife
The voice of the institution
La voix de l’institution
“The Ooni’s acceptance as Royal Father of the Champions is a cultural and institutional platform of immense power.”
Prince Abdulsalami Ladigbolu-Oranmiyan, President, UNESCO REF
Prince Ladigbolu-Oranmiyan observed that the royal role would give beneficiaries belonging, dignity and protection, mobilise communities across the nation and accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.
Champions of the future
Les championnes de demain
YWA Champions receive training, mentorship and access to modern agricultural technologies, and carry these into their communities as producers, entrepreneurs and leaders. Their mission is to reduce poverty, strengthen food security and promote inclusive economic growth.
The economic case is well established. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations reports a 24 per cent gender gap in productivity between women and men farmers on farms of equal size, and estimates that closing the gender gaps in agrifood systems would raise global GDP by nearly US$1 trillion and reduce the number of food-insecure people by 45 million.
Symbolism and strategy
Symbolique et stratégie
The patronage of the Ooni of Ife demonstrates that Nigeria’s cultural heritage and its development ambitions are not separate endeavours but mutually reinforcing ones. Where tradition lends its authority to progress, communities follow. It is in that spirit that UNESCO REF receives His Imperial Majesty’s acceptance with profound gratitude.
ENDS
Notes to editorsNotes aux rédactions
About Young Women in Agriculture (YWA). YWA is a UNESCO REF flagship programme under the SIP-ALPHA framework that equips young women aged 18 to 35 with agribusiness education, certification and income opportunities, with a national target of 12 million women.
About UNESCO REF. The Read and Earn Federation for UNESCO (UNESCO REF) works to strengthen human and institutional capacity across Nigeria and Africa through education, research and professional development, in alignment with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Media enquiries. UNESCO REF Media Centre, [email protected]