LASG Empowers 13,500 Vulnerable Women, Youths Through Various Training Programmes

13,500 vulnerable women and youths resident have been empowered by the Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation

EKO HOT BLOG reports that the Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA) has empowered 13,500 vulnerable women and youths resident in Lagos from Y2019 to date with various tuition-free empowerment training programmes, through its 19 Skills Acquisition Centres across the State.

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First Lady of Lagos State, Dr. (Mrs.) Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, disclosed this during the graduation ceremony for year 2021 Graduands of the Skills Acquisition Centres, held at the Isheri Skills Acquisition Centre, Ojodu-Berger, reiterating the State Government’s commitment to improving the welfare of the vulnerable and indigent residents through different empowerment initiatives.

Dr. Sanwo-Olu, represented at the event by the wife of the Deputy Governor, Mrs. Oluremi Hamzat, said: “Today, we empower indigent and vulnerable women and youths with vocational skills, competency certificates, and presented the best graduating students across the five divisions of the State with working tools towards their financial independence”.

In her address, the Honourable Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs. Cecilia Bolaji Dada, stated that the Ministry has intensified its efforts to empower the female gender, with the understanding that it is the key to eradicating poverty and curbing all forms of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in the State.

Her words: “13,500 students have so far completed their training in 20 vocations at our 19 Skills Acquisition Centres from 2019 till date. Therefore, there is a need to continue to encourage them to maximise the skills they have learnt to enable them to compete favourably in the labour market”.

While imploring all beneficiaries to brand their crafts and embrace proper bookkeeping skills to access loans through the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), Dada advised them to embrace the use of social media marketing tools to create adequate exposure for their products as well as attract customers from around the globe.

The Commissioner also called on residents who are still unemployed or underemployed to enroll in any of the 19 Skills Acquisition Centres across the five divisions of Lagos State for a short (six months) or long-term (12 months) empowerment training programme.

Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, WAPA, Mrs. Oluyemi Kalesanwo, said the State government understands the crucial and central role of women in the development of society, especially relating to its economic, social and political progress, therefore it has designed various policies and programmes for the upliftment of vulnerable women and youths.

“These policies and programmes are focused on easing the plight of beneficiaries and are designed to improve their financial independence to effectively cater for their families and contribute to economic sustainability and development of Lagos State”, she added.

In her remarks, the Executive Secretary, Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board (LASTVEB), Ms. Moronke Azeez, who was represented by Director, Partnership, Mr. Olawale Oluwo, applauded WAPA for its commitment to the improvement of women in the State.

She said: “The importance of learning a vocational skill cannot be over-emphasised, especially at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that businesses can thrive online without physical shops or offices. I must, therefore, encourage the beneficiaries to make appropriate use of their new skills and aim to be better in their chosen fields”.

An alumnus of WAPA’s Skill Acquisition Centre and the Creative Director of JAEBEE Furniture Ltd, Mrs. Joy Shittu-Igbodike, expressed profound gratitude to the government for its commitment to the empowerment of women and encouraged the new graduands to believe in their capabilities for self-improvement.

“I am grateful to WAPA for this initiative which has shaped my life tremendously, I urge you all to apply wisdom with hard work and continue to learn ways you can be better so that you would become masters of your craft”, she said

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The high point of the ceremony was the presentation of N100,000 each to 19 best graduating students, equipping all the graduands with various equipment according to their acquired skills including Photography, Textile Design, Computer Studies, Hair Dressing, Hat/Bead making, Barbing and Catering, amongst others.

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