21/09/2026
*From flood losses to garri success: How Anambra women rebuilt their lives*
Every morning in Aguleri, Anambra East Local Government Area, the rhythmic hum of cassava machines signals more than another day of work. For dozens women in the community, it is the sound of dignity restored, school fees secured, and hope rebuilt after devastating floods swept through their communities.
At the centre of that transformation is Highly Favoured Cooperative, a women-led garri processing enterprise that has grown from a struggling young cooperative into one of Anambra’s most successful community agribusinesses.
For Rosemary Onwuegbuka, the cooperative’s coordinator, the journey began with an opportunity.
“Before this support, we had the willingness to work but lacked the equipment. Today, women come here every day knowing they will earn something to feed their families,” she said.
The cooperative, operating under the Small Scale Women Farmers Organisation in Nigeria (SWOFON), received a complete gari processing line through the Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative, (WRAPA), a Nigerian non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in 1999 to promote and protect the rights of women and girls through legal aid, advocacy, economic empowerment, education, and community development.
WRAPA implemented the Malala Fund One-Off Intervention Support for Vulnerable Flood Victims (Women and Girls) which was launched to restore the livelihoods of women affected by the 2022 floods in Anambra, with interventions focused on communities in Ogbaru, Awka North and Anambra East.
The organization implemented the intervention in partnership with the Social and Integral Development Centre (SIDEC)
The intervention included a cassava peeler, grater, frying pan, air dryer, hydraulic presser and generator.
Rather than depending solely on donor support, the women reinvested their profits. They bought an additional garri presser, nine aluminium frying pots, a water tank and water pump, while renovating parts of their processing facility.
Today, the centre employs more than 20 people, including a salaried machine operator.
One of them is Okechukwu Igbonasi, who arrived at the mill unemployed just a year ago. “This place is like a breast that feeds many children,” she said with a smile.
“Before I started working here, life was very difficult. Now, there is no day I don’t have money to eat.
“I’m taking care of my family and paying my children’s school fees. This place changed my story.”
The cooperative’s success did not happen by chance.
According to Ugochi Ehiahuruike, Executive Director of the Social and Integral Development Centre (SIDEC) – WRAPA local partner, the project targeted women in communities worst affected by flooding across Anambra.
Following assessments in seven severely impacted local government areas, SIDEC and WRAPA identified Anambra East, Ogbaru and Awka North as priority LGAs.
Highly Favoured stood out despite being relatively new. “They were organised, committed and already working together. We believed they had the potential to succeed if properly supported,” Ehiahuruike explained.
The goal, she said, was never simply to donate machines. “We wanted to create sustainable economic opportunities for women whose livelihoods had been destroyed by floods, ” she added.
That vision is already yielding results. The cooperative is processing and packaging its cassava products under NAFDAC registration, opening doors to larger domestic and international markets.
Yet challenges remain. The biggest obstacle is water. Garri production requires large quantities of clean water for washing and peeling cassava, but the facility still lacks a borehole. “A reliable borehole would make production much easier,” Onwuegbuka said.
The women also hope to acquire another cassava grater, an automatic presser and a mechanical dryer that would prevent cassava peels from spoiling during the rainy season before they are sold as livestock feed.
Ehiahuruike believes the cooperative offers a compelling lesson for governments and development partners. “When you empower women, you empower families. And when you support women farmers, you strengthen food security and the entire agricultural value chain.”
“Having tens of women and even children benefiting from this cooperative is commendable and something that other people or cooperative societies should emulate.
“We gave similar equipment to other women cooperatives but it is only this Highly Favoured Cooperative that is doing amazing work.
“I am happy with the level of development, the number of women that have been mobilized, organized, and empowered there.
“And that is what sustainability is. That’s what empowerment and success mean.
“I really want to appreciate the SIDEC coordinator, Anambra East, who is also the coordinator for Highly Favour Group, for the beautiful work they are doing.
