The Nigerian Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Amb. Mariam Katagum has reaffirmed commitment of the Federal Government to support people living with disabilities in the country.
The Minister in a statement by the Assistant Director of Information, Mrs Oluwakemi Ogunmakinwa, stated this when she received in audience a delegation from the Network of the Disabled Women led by the National Secretary, Mary Omoyeme Musa in Abuja.
She said the present administration is passionate about the well-being of people with disabilities which led to the creation of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities to address their various challenges and mainstream them for better inclusion in the policies and programmes of Government.
Amb. Katagum noted that a lot is being done by the Federal government to support people with disabilities, citing, and the allocation of five percent in every track of the MSMEs Survival Fund which was meant to cushion the effect of COVID-19 on MSMEs to people with living with disabilities by the present administration.
The Minister also noted that the Federal Executive Council always ensure that every memo on new office building that comes to the council for consideration accommodates relevant structures to serve people living with disabilities.
He urged the delegation to leverage on the training opportunities that abound in the Ministry through its parastatals such as Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) among others. She equally noted that the Industrial Training Fund has about sixty vocational skills training with certification and starter packs.
Amb. Katagum acknowledged efforts of the Network of the Disabled Women and advised that a lot of advocacy programmes should be carried out among their various groups in order to tap into various government’s policies and programmes.
The National Secretary Network of the Disabled Women and leader of the delegation, Mary Omoyeme Musa during her remarks said that the purpose of their visit was to introduce the organization and seek for collaboration with the Ministry particularly in areas of mainstreaming into developmental programmes, training in business and trade opportunities, among others.
Dominica Nwabufo
