By Nicholas Onwukwe, Abuja
ABUJA – In its bid to empower women and create wealth, the Nigeria Cooperative Women Alliance (NICOWA) has disbursed N100 million to 370 women groups.
Speaking at the event in Abuja, the President of NICOWA, Dr. Esther Eka said the disbursement of the fund was to improve the livelihood of women and reduce the poverty level among women folk.
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She said “We are positioned to improve the well-being of the people and present women and their families a potential benefit, if well utilised will generate a transformed and more conducive enrichment of them,” she noted.
Eka added that NICOWA was active in all sectors and that it was moving to the next level of its empowerment structure.
In her remarks, the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Zainab Maina, said the launching was a clear indication of how important the financing of women is to the progress of the Nigerian woman.
Represented by the Acting Director, Economic Service Department, Mr. Olowo Ofoyeku the minister said co-operatives are engines of economic growth, offering a dynamic and wide range of businesses in areas of production, marketing and service delivery.
Maina stressed that, “we must therefore renew our commitment and remain steadfast in our fight to end poverty, hunger and joblessness especially among women. My presence here today is a clear indication that a lot is being done to provide more opportunities and support for women to sustainably realise their potentials.”
She noted further that cooperative was also considered as vehicles where disadvantaged group as indigent people, unemployed persons and others have a voice.
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“Today’s challenges confronting the nation with widespread income inequality and unemployment, cooperative ideals initiated by NICOWA are much needed to address the situation confronting women,” she explained.
The minister noted that the federal government having recognised co-operatives as suitable vehicle of development and key to government’s economic strategy in poverty alleviation, employment creation and food security, is in the process of producing a compendium of women co-operatives in Nigeria through the ministry.
“When produced it would be a reference point not only for the ministry but for other institutions in provision of information on viable co-operatives,” Maina stated.
Some of the women group from states that benefited among others include: Anambra, Bayelsa, Kogi, Ondo, Kaduna, Rivers, Lagos; Each group would undergo a pre-qualification exercise, after which the project would be evaluated and the disbursement follows at the national secretariat of NICOWA.
