By Palma Ileye
Ministry of Women Affairs has announced that it was partnering with WEMA Bank Plc on various empowerment initiatives aimed at upscaling the lives of 500,000 females in the six geo-political zones of the country.
This was disclosed in a press release issued by Mrs. Grace Njoku, Head, Information and Public Relations of the Ministry.
The empowerment initiative which is to be captured through the Ministry’s women cluster arrangement according to the statement will cover the areas of skill acquisition, agriculture, provision of grants and loans, as well as the dedication of a portion of the Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility schemes to women-focused programmes.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Barrister (Mrs) Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye in a meeting with officials of the Bank and its partners in her office, to discuss modalities for the collaboration, stated that the partnership aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to tackle poverty, unemployment, and improve living standards nationwide.
Kennedy-Ohanenye observed that women’s economic empowerment was crucial to closing gaps that perpetuate poverty, early marriages, wife battering, among others.
“With women and children comprising 70% 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,” the Minister said.
The Ministry, according to her, was committed to creating an enabling environment for women’s empowerment, particularly at the grassroots level through farming, food processing ventures, and tailoring, among others.
She said, “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.”
Kennedy-Ohanenye, therefore, called on WEMA Bank and other well-meaning Nigerians to prioritize women’s empowerment in their programmes in order to secure a brighter future for the country.
Earlier, the Managing Director, WEMA Bank Plc,
Mr. Moruf Oseni stated that they were in the Ministry, alongside other partners, to discuss modalities for a robust partnership on women empowerment through the MOWA-SARA accelerator program.
Represented by the Executive Director, Retail and Digital, Mr Tunde Mabawonku, he expressed their 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.