The Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA), an NGO, says it has trained 360 girls on life skills programme in Bauchi State.
Ms Grace Fosen, the Country Programme Manager, stated this at the graduation ceremony of the trainees on Tuesday in Bauchi.
Fosen said the three weeks training exercise was designed to develop the enterprising skills of women to enable them to engage in agricultural processing and become self-reliant.
She said the organisation was working to improve rice, groundnut and soybeans value chain in the state under its MEDA-WAY programme.
“In 2017; the organisation targeted 16,000 women and youths for training under its processing and empowerment programme.
“Presently, about 17,000 persons have so far benefitted from the programme in the seven participating local government areas in the state,” she said.
She listed the councils to include Bauchi; Warji, Katagum, Jama’are, Dass, Toro and Ganjuwa.
According to her, the training is being implemented in collaboration with the Federation of Muslim Women Association in Nigeria (FOMWAN), and Fahimta Women and Youth Development Initiative (FAWOYDI) among others.
Forsen commended the Bauchi State Government for providing an enabling environment which facilitated successful implementation of the programme.
In a remark, Mrs Aisha Kilishi, Chairperson of FOMWAN, said the exercise was designed to equip women on self esteem, protection and build their entrepreneurial skills.
She said such empowerment programme was critical towards building the capacity of twomen on social inclusion.
Also speaking, Mrs Binta Abdullahi, an official of the Bauchi State Agency for Nomadic Education (BASANE), urged the organisation to expand the scope of the training exercise to include nomadic women to enhance participation in the programme.
Some of the beneficiaries, Mrs Rahab Audu and Elizabeth James, lauded the gesture, saying it would improve the social and economic status of women in the state.
Audu said the training would also build resilience and promote behavioural change among women.
(NAN)