[News] : 2, 200 women to benefit from Aisha Buhari’s empowerment training

Wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, Mrs Aisha Buhari, on Thursday said no fewer than 2, 200 women would benefit from the second phase of her empowerment training programme. Buhari said this at the flag-off of the second phase of “Training for Women in Income Generating Activities’’ held at the Police College Ikeja, Lagos.

It was sponsored by her pet project, Future Assured, in collaboration with the National Directorate of Employment (NDE). She said the economic empowerment programme was significant and would address the five goals of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)- poverty, no hunger, gender equality, good jobs and economic growth. ”On Sept.10 in Kastina, when I launched the first phase of this programme, I made a pledge to Nigerian women to take this training to all nooks and crannies of this country. ”This programme will enhance the economic power and standard of our women, as well as get our women involved in activities that will enable them to engage in profitable economic ventures.
”We will continue to support government programmes and projects to make life more meaningful to our people, especially at the grassroots,” she said. Buhari urged the participants to submit themselves to the task of acquiring the needed skills which she described as the vehicle out of unemployment and poverty. Also, Mr Dolapo Osinbajo, wife of the Vice President, commended Buhari for the project, urging women to take advantage of the training to better their lives. ”She wants us women to be self-employed so that we can be economically stable in our homes and the nation at large, ” Osinbajo said. In his address, Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State, said that entrepreneurship and small scale businesses were key to eradicating poverty and sustaining economic growth. Ambode, represented by his deputy, Dr Idiat Adebule, said that the economic empowerment training would make women to become self-reliant and be lifted from poverty. ”The best we can do is to contribute to productivity, because an increase in productivity will reduce the high cost of living,” Ambode said. In her goodwill message, Mrs Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, a Senior Special Adviser to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), said that the empowerment training was apt as majority of the people out of jobs were women. She said that the SDGs office identified with the empowerment training as it would help to achieve the set goals. The Minister of Labour, Employment and Productivity, Dr Chris Ngige, represented by Mr Olawale Shadow, said that empowerment of women was critical to poverty alleviation and economic growth. Ngige said that women would be better equipped to face financial and economic challenges. In his remarks, Mr Kunle Obayan, the Director-General of NDE, said that the training was to demonstrate the government’s commitment toward women empowerment. The training includes beads stringing and wire works, cosmetology, interior decoration, event management, shoes and bags production using local fabrics. About 5,000 Mama kits were distributed to pregnant women to reduce maternal and infant mortality in the country.