Ekiti state government, through the Office of the Special Adviser on Social Investment and Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Women Empowerment in collaboration with the Business Development arm of WEMA Bank Plc. (Ekiti), have organised an empowerment scheme for young women in the state.
According to the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Women Empowerment, Bolaji Olagbaju, the scheme is part of the government’s efforts to empower women in the state.
“We understand the need to ensure our women are empowered to gain access to funds and opportunities that will build their skills and make them good supporters of their homes.
“The Wife of the Governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi has a strong passion for the development of Ekiti women, giving them equal opportunities for financial freedom through innovative programmes and trainings. This is one of the ways we believe will build the confidence of these women and we will ensure they continue to enjoy opportunities as this,” she said.
While addressing women during the session, Head of Corporate Sustainability WEMA Bank (Ekiti), Abimbola Agbejule said the bank is pleased to be part of the programme adding that WEMA bank will continue to support developmental activities of the government on social investment.
“We are people oriented and we want to ensure every woman in the state is given equal financial opportunity to establish or expand their trades and businesses.
“Only about 25 percent of the women population in Nigeria has the chance to be financially independent and we want to ensure women in Ekiti get a fair share of this opportunity.
“We have introduced SARA, a financial product designed for women who want to grow their businesses. This product is currently running in some parts of the country including Lagos State and we believe Ekiti State should not be left out as it is in line with the vision of Erelu Bisi Fayemu to empower women in the state.
“Beyond accessing the funds, we have a team on ground to monitor how the funds are disbursed and managed on monthly basis. This will allow us keep track on the growth of various businesses owned by the beneficiaries,” she said.
Special Adviser on Social Investment said the scheme is an improvement on previous empowerment programmes of the state government.
“Ekiti State Government, as we all know, is progressive in its approach to bringing the dividends of democracy to the people of the state. This scheme is one that is thoroughly planned to give a better living to our women. We will continue to explore opportunities available for the development of the people,” he said.
Honourable Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, Olufemi Ajayi lauded the initiative while advising women present at the session to channel funds that will be made available to them appropriately for the growth of their various businesses.
“The Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning is happy with the initiative and we believe this will go a long way in boosting empowerment programmes of the state.
“I want to specially advise the women who will benefit from this programme to ensure adequate spending of their budget. This will enable their businesses grow from a lower to a larger scale. This will add to the economic growth and development of Ekiti State,” he said.
Director General, Microfinance and Enterprise Development Agency (MEDA), Otunba Kayode Fasae said the Agency is set to support the programme by providing adequate training for the women on how to access and manage funds for businesses.
“We have series of loan platforms that are not healthy for our women so we want to key into this programme to ensure our women are properly trained on accessing and managing loans for their Small and Medium Enterprises,” he said. Other stakeholders present at the event include; Zonal Manager WEMA Bank Ekiti, Damilola Edewusi; Board Member, Board for Technical and Vocational Education Ekiti State, Yetunde Adamu.
Packaged by Emmanuel Adeniran
