Nasarawa State governor, Abdullahi Sule, has reiterated the resolve of his administration to prioritise the empowerment of women and youths in order to make them active players in the economic development of the state.
This is just as the governor has empowered 150 women with N20,000 each as start-up grant to engage in skills of their choice and to enable them become self-reliant.
The women, who were drawn from the 13 local government areas of the state, also went home with a bag of Semovita each.
It would be recalled that the state government, in collaboration with B-Innovation Integrated Limited, recently trained women in various skills acquisition, such as production of hand sanitizer, soap, perfume, bread making, cake baking, pomade and other skills, and are expected to set up their own businesses to become employers of labour.
Governor Sule said his decision to disburse the grants personally was to encourage the beneficiaries to become employers of labour.
The governor also made a commitment to give out another N10,000 to each of the beneficiaries, with a view to making the capital reasonable.
“I believe strongly that it’s necessary for our women to understand that it’s not only to empower you with this little money, but to make you also employers of labour,” the governor said.
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“There is no gainsaying that women play vital role in the sustenance of our economy, through active participation in subsistence agriculture, food processing, petty trading, marketing, as well as medium and small-scale enterprises.
“It is important to state that women are the backbone of the informal sector, which contributes largely in driving our economy, and are also in the forefront of sustenance of our social and community wellbeing, through the upbringing, education, as well as inculcating moral values in our children.
“However, in spite of this effort, women suffer some kind of discrimination and are denied access to opportunities to harness their potential for the benefit of our society.
“This informed the resolve of this administration to prioritize the empowerment of women and youths by liberating them in order to make them active players in our economic development process,” he said.
According to the governor, empowering the women is also another way of cushioning the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the people of the state. He urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the grant at their disposal.
Sule commended the facilitator, B-Innovation Integrated Limited, for collaborating with the state government in imparting basic skills to the women in the state, with a view to eradicating poverty, creating wealth and employment generation for the socio-economic development.
Earlier, State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Halima Ahmadu Jabiru, while highlighting the benefits of the skills acquisition training for the women, commended the governor for his support and commitment towards the welfare of women in the state.
Some of the beneficiaries have already begun to demonstrate their learnt skills as they displayed some of their products for attendees to see.
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