Education
As part of her efforts to alleviate poverty in Plateau State, especially among rural women and youths, First Lady of the state, Mrs. Talatu Jang, has embarked on training of over 25,000 Plateau women drawn from across the 17 local government areas of the state, on financial literacy.
In her remarks at the recent opening ceremony of the training facilitated by WAYE Foundation and Fingertips Enterprise Development Partners International Limited (FEDPIL), Mrs. Jang identified lack of capital to finance most businesses as a major problem for teeming unemployed women and youths, not only on the Plateau, but the nation as a whole.
The problem, the First Lady said, "is better appreciated when one considers the fact that no matter how highly skilled an individual is, without strong capital base, little or no meaningful achievement can be made.
"For us here at the Women in Agriculture and Youth Empowerment (WAYE) Foundation, where our number one focus is empowering women and youths with relevant skills for meaningful engagement through self-employment, this problem is even more peculiar.
"This is so because our trainees, upon the successful completion of their training programmes, require funds to set up their businesses," Jang added.
She therefore challenged the women to take the training seriously because it is an opportunity they cannot afford to miss. "I am happy because the expansion of their businesses means better living conditions not just for these women, but in turn, that of their families", she added.
Also speaking, the Governor of the state, Jonah Jang, congratulated his wife for the laudable steps has taken towards empowering women and youths in the state, adding that he would give her the needed moral support to continue in the good works, even after his administration as the Governor of the state.
The state Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Olivia Daziem, also observed that the training, which has the contribution of her ministry, is aimed at enabling them take advantage of the micro, small and medium Business Development Fund to access the N220 billion fund for business development of the women.
On ground to give the requisite training to about 300 women drawn from each of the LGA, who will in turn train others, were the CEO of FEDPIL, Mr. Haggai Gutap; President of National Micro-Finance Bank Association of Nigeria, Chief Jethro Akun; and Chairman, Niger Delta Science and Technology & Bio Enterprise Development, Dr. Reuben Jaja, among others.