Groups Train 35 Women Leaders of Cooperatives

• advocate capacity building, empowerment of Women

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

The Partnership for Advancing Women in Economic Development (PAWED) in conjunction with Lift Above Poverty Organisation (LAPO), has embarked on the training of 35 leaders of women cooperatives for economic development.

They also advocated for capacity building and empowerment of women for economic growth.

Declaring open the two-day training in Benin City, the Acting Chief Executive of LAPO, Mr. Honestus Ayo Obadiora, said the partnership with PAWED was designed to strengthen the capacity of women associations in Edo State to speak and demand for more investment from the state and local governments.

Obadiora promised that his organisation would continue to enhance the capacity of women in the state as part of its commitment to improve their living standards.

He said: “There is no better solution to poverty eradication than empowerment of women; and when you build their capacity, you are saying this is an opportunity to make them relevant and important in decision making. This is what the training is all about.”

Obadiora called on the state government to continue to invest in women, pointing out that any nation that neglected its women folks is already designed to fail.

Also in an address, the National Coordinator of PAWED, Ms. Fa’Iza Munttaka, described the capacity building as part of the series in the project’s training designed to ensure women have voices.

Munttaka who was represented by Mr. Sani Ochepo, noted that the training has benefited over 300 women groups in other states like Niger, Kwara, Lagos, Taraba and Abia.

She said: “We believe that when women begin to demand for their rights and ask for more investment in economic empowerment, then they become stronger and will contribute to their families, society and the nation as a whole.”

She disclosed that participants in the capacity building would be supported to develop and implement an action plan to conduct an advocacy visit on problems or issues of concern to their economic wellbeing collectively.