Group urges Nasarawa government to establish women entrepreneurship centre

Young Women Entrepreneurship Forum (YWEF) has called on Nasarawa State Government to establish women entrepreneurship centre in the state.

Nasarawa State Coordinator of the forum, Mrs. Asma’u Kwara, made the call in Lafia at the maiden edition of the Young Women Entrepreneurship conference organised by Naspreneur-Hub.

The state coordinator said the centre when establish would focus attention on training women in different skills and help them access benefits from international donor agencies to support their businesses.

The women’s centre would also have a guidance and counselling unit that would be responsible for addressing issues of gender-based violence.

According to her, “a lot of women are suffering and dying in silence as a result of one form of abuse or the order hence the need for the centre“.

The centre would help to counsel women who are victims of abuse to know that they can still pick the pieces of their lives and move on and achieve greater things in life afterward.

She also called on the government as well as individuals and organizations to give priority to the empowerment of women especially the young once to enable them to contribute to the wealth of the nation.

“The government and international organisations should also give young woman entrepreneurs loans, grants, and other support to establish businesses and expand or grow existing ones.

“A lot of women are into petty businesses but find it difficult to grow them due to lack of support from government and groups,” she added.

Mrs. Asama’u Kwara, therefore, appealed to parents to ensure that women are trained up to the University level as doing so would help in addressing the challenges facing women in society.

Similarly, Founder, Naspreneur-Hub Mr. Kefas Tigga, said the conference drowns young women entrepreneurs from the 13 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.

Mr. Tigga added that the conference was aimed at training them on how to add value to their products and connect them to the market as well as expose them to where they can get loans to expand their businesses.

“The conference is designed to provide entrepreneurs an opportunity to meet, socialize and learn from each other.

“It would help startups to meet with experts in their field for mentorship and for investors to meet investment opportunities in its incubation stage,” he added.

State Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Mariam Katagum, represented by Mrs. Agiler Chioma commended the group for the initiative.

The minister, therefore, said that President Muhammadu Buhari-led’s administration has empowered a lot of women in business through social investment and agricultural loans among others.

The minister, therefore, pledged the federal government through the ministry would continue to support women in business to achieve their full potential.

Nnenna.O