Tropical General Investments (TGI) Group has taken another step toward bridging Nigeria’s rural financial gap with the launch of the Osun Financial Inclusion Drive (OFID), a grassroots initiative aimed at connecting underserved cocoa farmers to formal banking and digital financial services. Implemented through WACOT Limited, a TGI subsidiary, the program reflects the company’s growing commitment to inclusive development across Nigeria’s agricultural communities.
OFID provides cocoa farmers in Osun State with the tools and training necessary to manage their income, access digital payments, and participate in Nigeria’s formal financial system—many of them for the first time. Over 1,700 farmers across 92 communities have benefited from the program, gaining access to bank accounts, financial literacy sessions, and mobile payment platforms.
The initiative builds on the success of the Kebbi Financial Inclusion Drive (KFID), launched in 2022, which reached more than 5,000 smallholder farmers in Kebbi State, including a significant number of women and young people.
Speaking on the program’s broader significance, Yosola Ononuga, Head of Sustainability at TGI Group, said financial access is the cornerstone of sustainable development in rural Nigeria.
“For us at TGI, inclusion starts at the grassroots. OFID is about equipping farmers with the tools to participate meaningfully in today’s economy. This is sustainability in action—creating access, building resilience, and empowering communities from within,” Ononuga explained.
For cocoa farmers like Mr. Oladipupo Fatai of Olosun Community in Akeredolu, the initiative has been life-changing. “Prior to this time, it has not been easy for me to manage my finances, and this is my first time opening an account, so it’s indeed a great privilege for me,” he said. “Now, I have a bank account and I’ve learned how to use my phone for payments.”
At the conclusion of the program, over 100 cocoa farmers received Sustainability Differential (SD) payments, a reward for meeting responsible and traceable cocoa production standards. This financial incentive not only promotes sustainable practices but also reinforces the value of accountability and transparency within the value chain.
TGI’s rural inclusion strategy is built around embedding financial literacy and access within its agricultural operations nationwide, enabling farmers to move beyond subsistence and become active, empowered participants in the broader economy.
The company says it will continue to expand financial inclusion initiatives through its agribusiness subsidiaries, ensuring that rural producers are not only productive, but also financially secure and future-ready.
