{"id":15058,"date":"2026-06-20T12:40:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T12:40:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.iita.org\/news-item\/enable-taat-success-story-mentorship-helps-beneficiary-overcome-covid-19-impact\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T21:09:46","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T21:09:46","slug":"enable-taat-success-story-mentorship-helps-beneficiary-overcome-covid-19-impact","status":"publish","type":"news-item","link":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/news-item\/enable-taat-success-story-mentorship-helps-beneficiary-overcome-covid-19-impact\/","title":{"rendered":"ENABLE-TAAT success story: Mentorship helps beneficiary overcome COVID-19 impact"},"content":{"rendered":"A beneficiary of the ENABLE-TAAT capacity development exercise has affirmed that beyond technical training for youth, mentorship and training in soft skills and business development are valuable to provide a soft landing for new enterprises.\n\nIn 2019, Aderemi Adekunle Oke participated in an aquaculture training provided by the program compact because of the ample opportunities offered. Before that time, he started a fish enterprise that was swept away during heavy rainfall. So, he decided to gain more knowledge from the ENABLE-TAAT aquaculture training before starting again.\n<div id=\"attachment_7997\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/EnableTAAT1b.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7997\" src=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/EnableTAAT1b.jpg\" alt=\"ENABLE-TAAT success story: Mentorship helps beneficiary overcome COVID-19 impact\" width=\"820\" height=\"411\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7997\" \/><\/a>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-7997\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Some TAKERO products, including yam flour, cassava flour, mixed pap, etc.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\nDuring the training, he learned about the fish value chain from production to consumption and business development. He was also trained to set up a business plan, think \u201coutside the box\u201d, manage an enterprise, be proactive, respect human value, and be emotionally intelligent.\n\nOke then ventured into fish production by building a hatchery and six nursery ponds and a mini pond. He planned to hatch fingerlings and nurture, process, and market them. Sadly, the outbreak of COVID-19 dealt a massive blow to his enterprise. He lost his market, and many fish died due to lack of feed.\n<div id=\"attachment_7998\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ENABLETAAT2.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7998\" src=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ENABLETAAT2.jpg\" alt=\"ENABLE-TAAT success story: Mentorship helps beneficiary overcome COVID-19 impact\" width=\"734\" height=\"411\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7998\" \/><\/a>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-7998\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oke showcasing some of his products.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\nIn his low moments, he began to reflect on some of the notes taken during the soft skills training and sought mentorship from ENABLE-TAAT staff. He developed an interest in processing during that time, and the youth compact invited him to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/\">IITA<\/a>\u00a0processing center for orientation.\n\nIn 2020, Oke ventured into processing, packaging, and marketing food commodities, including potato, cassava flour, maize flour, plantain flour, chili pepper, and locust beans. He developed a business plan with support from the ENABLE-TAAT team, which continued to mentor him, and commenced a new enterprise named \u201cTAKERO\u201d. The enterprise now employs Oke\u2019s wife and about eight casual staff. It has a large local market and is now exporting to the UAE, UK, USA, and Sweden!\n<div id=\"attachment_7999\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n\n<a href=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ENABLETAAT3.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7999\" src=\"https:\/\/iita.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ENABLETAAT3.jpg\" alt=\"ENABLE-TAAT success story: Mentorship helps beneficiary overcome COVID-19 impact\" width=\"820\" height=\"411\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7999\" \/><\/a>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-7999\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mentorship provided a soft landing in agribusiness for Oke<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\u201cThey provided me a conducive environment and adequate mentorship during my transition. I felt very sad when I lost my fish enterprise to COVID-19, but I am grateful that ENABLE-TAAT helped me gain the orientation I need before launching my new enterprise. I am doing fine now,\u201d he said.\n\nTAKERO is very particular about using first-grade quality materials that meet international standards. The primary commodities they process are pro-vitamin A maize from IITA, millet, orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP), yam, cassava, and vegetables.","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A beneficiary of the ENABLE-TAAT capacity development exercise has affirmed that beyond technical training for youth, mentorship and training in soft skills and business development are valuable to provide a soft landing for new enterprises.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":15059,"template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"tags":[1148],"science-area":[],"program":[],"location":[],"news-type":[],"hub":[61],"crop":[],"impact-areas":[],"item-year":[199],"class_list":["post-15058","news-item","type-news-item","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-covid-19-impactenable-taat-success-storyiita-news-no-2591youth-mentorship","hub-western-africa","item-year-199"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - 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