Nasarawa State Human Capital Development Agency, through the EmpowerHer Project, has trained 1,200 women on financial and digital skills.
The agency’s director-general, Habiba Balarabe Suleiman, disclosed this during a financial literacy and economic inclusion outreach held yesterday at the Emir’s Palace in Lafia and the Awuma community.
The director general said the beneficiaries were drawn from 12 communities in six local government areas of the state.
She gave the names of the councilsas Lafia, Awe, Wamba, Akwanga, Keffi, and Karu, respectively.
The DG explained that the training would allow the women to digitise their businesses so that they could operate 24 hours a day. She added that most women face challenges in maximising their profits because they lack the necessary skills to advance their respective businesses.
“We have 100 women per community from the 12 communities, making it 1,200 women. We need to get them ready for opportunities that abound. For example, there are a lot of federal government grants that most of our women do not qualify for, simply because they do not have bank accounts.
“So, we are trying to provide a platform to get them ready for opportunities which would enable them to show their potential,”she said.
“We are here to ensure that they kick-start their financial journey the right way. For those who do not have bank accounts, we offer bank account opening services and hope to enrol the entire 1,200 women in the Nasarawa State Health Insurance Schemes. We will also ensure that they get National Identity Numbers and other technical and funding support,” she explained.
She said her agency is currently working towards clustering the women into cooperatives and registering them with the Corporate Affairs Commission so that they can easily access financial interventions from the government and other recognised establishments in the country.
Finda Koroma, founder and chief executive officer of Africa Human Capital Development Plus, stated that the launch of the EmpowerHer financial literacy project is a testament to the state’s bold vision to make gender-transformative Human Capital Development a reality by building on the momentum of the state’s Gender-Transforming HCD Policy Framework, which the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, earlier launched.
Represented by Executive Assistant Nabila Hamidu, Koroma commended Governor Abdullahi Sule’s visionary leadership and the dedication of the Nasarawa State Human Development Council, chaired by Deputy Governor Emmanuel Akabe.
She noted that HCD Plus’s commitment is to support initiatives that go beyond knowledge and skills, to ensure that women and underserved communities have access to the tools and opportunities that enable meaningful participation in economic life.
“Through this project, women will receive training in budgeting, saving, and debt management, and benefit from subsidised Point-of-Sale machines to support and grow their sustainable livelihoods. It also supports health protection by enrolling participants into the Nasarawa State Health Insurance Scheme, protecting women from economic shocks caused by health-related emergencies,” she explained.
