Kogi State government has promised to give financial assistance to women and youths across the three senatorial districts of the state who are willing to embark on agricultural activities and small scale businesses.
The state commissioner of Commerce and Industry, Hon Gabriel Olofu, stated this at a One Day Stakeholders Forum on the promotion of Sustainable Income Generating Activities organised by Solidaridad West Africa in collaboration with Youth and Women Health Empowerment Project, (YAWHEP), Development and Female Gender Initiative, (DEGENDER), Intellect, and Participation Initiative For Behavioral Change in Development, (PIBCID) with funding from the Kingdom of Netherlands.
The commissioner held that women and youths constitute the majority population of any nation’s productive sector hence the need for their empowerment to boost the ailing economy and food security in the country.
He maintained that assisting the youths to be self-reliant is a great investment that worth its onions as it would go a long way in reducing youths restiveness bedevilling Nigeria at the moment.
Olofu, therefore, called on the women and youths wishing to improve on their businesses to approach the Care Unit of the Kogi State Ministry of Commerce and Industry for necessary registration and documentation.
The commissioner noted that the state is blessed with abundant natural resources that could be tapped to reduce unemployment and provide empowerment means for citizens.
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In her paper titled “Linkages establishment for value chain base/alternative funding access by women and youths” during the stakeholders’ forum, the Managing Director/CEO of Kogi Enterprise Development Agency, Rekiya Sanni, stressed the need for government at all levels to continue to embark on sensitization programmes on wealth creation.
She also challenged governments to always embrace the process that would encourage women and youths in wealth creation for themselves.
Earlier, the Executive Director of Participation Initiative For Behavioural Change in Development (PIBCID), Halimat Sadiq, had expressed the readiness of her organization not to relent in the crusade to tackle women and child abuse as well as the promotion of gender equality in the society.
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