Benue Women Affairs Ministry, NGO Partner To Empower Sex Workers

A non-governmental organisation, New Education Teaching Academics Project (NATEP) Nigeria Limited, has partnered with the Benue State government, through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, to empower commercial sex workers, vulnerable women, and unemployed youths across the state.

The chief executive officer of NATEP Nigeria Limited, Mimidoo Aondongu, disclosed this during a courtesy visit to the Ministry in Makurdi, where she sought collaboration on the Herpic Scarf Project.

In a statement issued yesterday by the ministry’s information officer, Joy Akoh, the NGO said the initiative was designed to improve livelihoods by providing vocational training, literacy education, and business support for participants.

She explained that training programs will last for three months at a cost of  N30,000,

She further stated that, one month before the empowerment stage, the organisation would assist participants in opening business accounts and obtaining Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) certificates for their businesses.

Aondongu added that after the training, NETAP mobile shops would be established for trainees, supported by loans to help beneficiaries become self-reliant.

She noted that the program would not be limited to Makurdi alone but would also extend to other local government areas of the state.

She further noted that a monitoring and supervision team would be deployed to assess the beneficiaries’ progress and monitor the installed businesses.

The NETAP CEO also revealed that participants would be trained in reading and writing through organised literacy classes.

Aondongu said the trainees would undergo evaluations and would also be encouraged to obtain the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE), NATEP certification, or enrol in remedial programs for further studies.

She said the program aims to advance business and technological skills among trainees to help them adapt to modern business realities and reduce frustration among women in the home.

Responding, the commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Theresa Odachi Ikwue, who welcomed the initiative, assured the team that the ministry would support and key into the program.

“The Ministry also uses this opportunity to invite commercial sex workers across the state to register and participate in the training program”, the statement said.