Women
THE Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation on Tuesday reiterated commitment to ensure financial independence for women and youths through its empowerment programmes.
Mrs Bolaji Dada, Lagos State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, made the assertion at the closing ceremony of the short-term skills acquisition programme for women in Agege.
Dada said: “This gathering brings to the fore the decision of the Lagos State Government to empower women and also make them employers of labour in society.
“As we all know, poverty, early marriages, teenage pregnancies and cultural issues among others are some of the factors preventing girls from going to or finishing schools.
“Some of these prevailing factors are reasons why our focus under this administration of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu is to ensure financial independence for our women and the youth.
“Challenges posed by poverty among women can only be resolved through projects, programmes and skills acquisition.
“We want a society that is productive and focuses on economic growth through various intervention programmes.”
She said the graduates who were over 200 were trained in event decoration and flower arrangement, fabric stoning and embellishment and catering.
Dada added that the beneficiaries were also trained in soap and pomade/insecticide production, hair braiding and wig making, gele and makeup and others.
She urged the beneficiaries to make use of the knowledge acquired to engage themselves.
Also, Mrs Kalesanwo Oluyemi, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, urged women in the state to enrol for its skills acquisition programmes to be self independent.
“Our programmes are free for women in Lagos state and it is a good avenue to learn skills that will be of benefit to them in the area of finance.
“When women have something doing, they will contribute to the well-being of their families and the society at large.
Meanwhile, Ololade Lawal who benefitted from the programme, thanked the state government for the initiative and the opportunity to acquire a skill.
“The experience is a great one for me because I can do makeup and tie gele to make money and support my family,” Lawal said.
Also, Monsurat Olayiwola, another beneficiary, said the training was timely for her, having lost her business due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“God bless the goverment of Lagos State for this programme because I will be able to keep myself busy and earn money with the knowledge I have acquired in tie and dye,” she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the beneficiaries were given start-up kits in their various skills.
NAN
– Apr 27, 2020@ 18:50 GMT|
Tags: LASG reiterates commitment to financial independence for women
