No fewer than 25,459 women have been empowered with Soft loans to enhance their businesses by the Nigeria for Women Projects (NFWP) in Kebbi State.
NFWP is a federal government project through the Ministry of Women Affairs with support from the World Bank with the aim of improving the livelihood of women in the geopolitical zones and states including Kebbi, Niger, Taraba, Ogun, Abia and Akwa Ibom.
In Kebbi State, the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development is the ministry saddled with the responsibility of implementing the projects.
Speaking at a media briefing on the project in Birnin Kebbi yesterday, Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu told implementers of the project that his government had, because of the love for women empowerment and support, ensured that the project enjoys strong support from state actors, leading to a successful implementation at three selected local government areas of the state namely; Argungu, Ngaski and Maiyama.
Bagudu who was represented by his deputy and chairman, NFWP Steering Committee in the state, Col. Samaila Yombe Dabai, added that government had provided a conducive office accommodation for NFWP staff in addition to the support for effective implementation of the project.
The governor revealed that the project was also using community-based approaches of Women Affinity Groups (WAGs) as a platform for lending support and to show that these platforms can be a foundation for women’s economic empowerment.
“The government has ensured that economically active women from the three selected local government areas who are within the ages of 18 and a above are being mobilised in to WAGs therein, they are being taught community-based savings, financial education, business, gender, and life skills as a way of helping them improve their businesses, income, and overall standard of living,” Bagudu said.
The governor emphasised that his government has concern for women and children would continue to ensure that women were empowered through various interventions, policies and programmes.
The coordinator of NFWP in the state, Yakubu Mohammed Yauri, said the project as at July ending, had engaged 359 ward facilitators who had gone ahead to mobilise and form over 2,471 Women Affinity Groups (WAGs) across the selected three local government areas.
