The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, says women can transform Nigeria’s economy by taking advantage of empowerment opportunities to establish businesses, attain economic independence and contribute to national development.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim made the remark during a keynote address at the 3rd Annual Conference and Women Empowerment Campaign organised by Women Life Enhancement Initiative in Calabar, Cross River State.
Speaking on the theme, “Building Women of Capacity and Projecting Virtues of Divine Motherhood”, the minister stressed the need for women to acquire the skills and opportunities required to become active contributors to the economy.
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She noted that women also needed access to capacity-building opportunities, finance, productive assets, technology, markets and mentorship.
“A woman, who has skills but, lacks opportunity cannot fully realise her potential. Equally, an opportunity without capacity may not produce sustainable results,” Sulaiman-Ibrahim said.
The minister highlighted several Nigerian Government initiatives targeted at empowering women, particularly those at the grassroots.
She listed PowerHer774, the Renewed Hope Women Agro-Value Expansion Programme, Women in Nigeria Gas Sector, the Green Economy Empowerment Programme 774 and the Nigeria for Women Project Scale-Up as some of the interventions.
According to her, the programmes were designed to support women in clean energy, agriculture, gas entrepreneurship, electric mobility, savings and access to financial services.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim further noted that women were central to the wellbeing of families and communities, stressing that the benefits of women’s economic empowerment extended beyond individuals to their children, households and society.
She urged women to see themselves as more than beneficiaries of empowerment programmes.
“I encourage every woman to see herself as a builder, entrepreneur, employer, mentor, leader and agent of change.”
“Every skill acquired, every business established, every woman lifted from dependency to productivity represents an investment in Nigeria’s future,” the minister stressed.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim commended the Women Life Enhancement Initiative for its skills acquisition, entrepreneurship, mentorship, humanitarian and livelihood programmes, including its multipurpose factory and 400-bed capacity orphanage project.
She assured stakeholders that the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development remained open to partnerships capable of delivering measurable impact, particularly at the grassroots.
The conference climaxed with the presentation of starter packs to beneficiaries of various skills acquisition projects and the distribution of grants to owners of nano, micro and small enterprises.
