The consultant training women for the Economic Empowerment Programme aimed at alleviating poverty in Nigeria, Stella Akande, has declared that the scheme which is powered by Future Assured Initiative, a pet project of the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, is out to empower at least 2000 women in various crafts.
Stella who was in Lagos Tuesday took newsmen on a tour round the state training center at Police college Ikeja where about 1,600 women are said to have started training in Gele tying and makeup, debris and fabric sewing, catering food and snacks preparation, soap, pomade and disinfectant production, event decoration and arrangement, fabric textile and dye, hair braiding, Hat making and Beed making.
She however noted that 400 other women will be drawn from other parts of the state especially in Epe to make up the 2000 women to be trained in the state. Speaking on the initiative, Stella said. “we empower individual persons. We have sewing machines available which we would use to empower those who are under tailoring at the end of their training.
Caterers also would get some of their equipment and materials even soap making . we are going to empower all of our trainee with equipments at the end of their program. “At the completion of the one to three months training, they will be sent for industrial training in some organizations for follow up. We also send some monitoring inspectors to ensure they are properly trained.”
She maintained that all categories of women, youth, middle aged women can benefit from the scheme. Nwosu Comfort, a beneficiary of the initiative narrates her experience since the programme kicked off. She said. “Here we do lots of practical on tye and dye fabric. We were taken through the rudiments on how to mix colours and how to design our fabric. ”
I used to work as a banker but I always had a flea for tye and dye which I always wanted to do on a conservation level. Here they’ve done marvellously well in training us and once I’m done with this training I plan to start using what I have acquired to make money.” Stella also appreciated the effort of Mrs. Aisha Buhari, who has been more than supportive in making the whole programme a success.