FG, WEMA Bank collaborate to empower 500,000 women

The Federal Government (FG), through the Ministry of Women Affairs and WEMA Bank PLC have have sealed a deal to empower 500,000 women in all the six geo-political zones in Nigeria.

This was disclosed in a statement by the Ministry’s Head of Information and Public Relations, Mrs. Grace Njoku.

According to the statement, the partnership is with a view to addressing poverty, unemployment, and inequality among women.

The Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, stressed that the project would add value to national development by economically since women who constitute a large number of the nation’s populace also have roles to play in nation building efforts.

According to the statement, the empowerment 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 statement added that WEMA Bank, under the leadership of Managing Director, Moruf Oseni, pledged its commitment to women programmes as a 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 programme,” Oseni said.

The minister who explained the crucial roles that women play in addressing societal challenges, particularly early marriage, domestic violence and poverty, noted: “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 also emphasized the Ministry’s poise to create more opportunities that would further enhance women’s empowerment, especially at the grassroots level through farming, food processing ventures and tailoring.

“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 also the nation at large, Kennedy-Ohanenye added.

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