In a concerted effort to foster economic empowerment among women in Laniba, Balogun and Sode community in Akinyẹle Local Government Area of Oyo state, the Aziza Development Foundation, in partnership with BudgIT orchestrated a pivotal business and financial literacy session.
The event, meticulously planned and executed, was aimed at arming female nano and micro-entrepreneurs with essential knowledge and skills vital for navigating the intricate terrain of business ownership and availing them easy access to soft loan.
The commencement of the programme was marked by a registration exercise to capture the data of all the attendees carried out by representatives of the foundation in collaboration with the representative of BudgIT, Mr Ademuyiwa Adéyemí.
Welcoming the attendees, the Executive Director and founder of The Aziza Development Foundation, Mrs Funmi Okubanjo, reiterated the organisation’s unwavering commitment to uplifting women and fortifying their economic standing.
She added the previous empowerment efforts of Mrs Toyin Adéyemí, who has been helping women with small businesses in Laniba especially for widows to gain access to grants, prompted her to visit the community, adding that the foundation is an off-shoot of a business and financial literacy programme which she started from Radiance Features in 2021, after a large number of women were victims of investment scam by informal institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic era.
She further highlighted the success rate of the foundation, saying it has from 2021 to 2023 served over seven local government areas mostly in the South Western part of Nigeria, worked and trained over 300 women, and has also facilitated capital in terms of micro loans, including a bit of grant for more than 40 women to start or grow their businesses.
According to her, the greatest challenges the foundation had been facing is changing the mindset of women from thinking beyond political influence or support from their elected officers and recognised the fact that private entities like the Aziza Development Foundation is only there to help and not to enrich it’s pocket.
The Executive Director, who lauded the contribution of BudgiIT added to the session, noted that Mr Adéyemí’s input was helpful in educating the women on how best to hold government officials responsible and accountable, called on government at all levels to provide an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.
Topics taught included book-keeping, traditional contribution popularly known as ‘Ajo’, the right type of savings account to open as well as insurance, and pension scheme.
While speaking during his session, Mr Ademuyiwa from Budgit enlightened the women on holding government officials accountable for required community development projects and encouraged them to find a way to collectively put checks and balance mechanism in place for public office holders, adding that the issue of Health should be taken as utmost priority.
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