The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Women Affairs and WEMA Bank PLC have partnered to empower 500,000 women across the six geo-political zones in the country.
In a statement on Wednesday by the Ministry’s Head of Information and Public Relations, Mrs. Grace Njoku, the partnership seeks to address poverty, unemployment, and inequality.
Indeed, the statement noted that the initiative is part of President Bola Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda,” which focuses on skill acquisition, agriculture and the provision of grants and loans.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, emphasised that the project will contribute significantly to national development by economically empowering women, who make up a substantial portion of Nigeria’s population.
In her remarks, the minister highlighted the critical role women play in tackling societal challenges such as early marriages, domestic violence, and poverty.
“With women and children comprising 70 per cent of Nigeria’s population, empowering the gender through skill acquisition, access to grants and loans, as well as business tools will yield significant positive results,” she said.
She reiterated the Ministry’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for women’s empowerment, particularly at the grassroots level through farming, food processing ventures, and tailoring, among others.
“By doing so, Nigeria can expect a reduction in out-of-school dropouts, sexual and gender-based violence, as well as early marriages, allowing women to earn, make profits and also contribute meaningfully to the growth and development of not only their families, but the nation at large, the Minister added.
According to the statement, WEMA Bank, under the leadership of Managing Director, Moruf Oseni, pledged its commitment to women-focused initiatives as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility.
“We were in the Ministry, alongside other partners, to discuss modalities for a robust partnership on women empowerment through the MOWA-SARA accelerator program,” he stated.
Represented by the bank’s Executive Director of Retail and Digital, Tunde Mabawonku, Oseni reaffirmed the bank’s willingness to partner the Ministry through its cluster arrangement for women empowerment across the States, assuring that a portion of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) will be on women-focused initiatives in order to enhance the economic status of Nigerian women.