Regina Otokpa A group, Solidarity Empowerment Initiative (SEI), has begun some strategic partnership with no fewer than 15 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAS), international and local organisations with the view of empowering at least 10 million women and youths with skills and employment annually.
Addressing newsmen at a workshop held with some Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Abuja, the Programme Coordinator, SEI, Sammy Joel while raising concerns over the rising levels of poverty and unemployment in the country, noted that funding for the project was drawn from international and local philanthropists.
Joel who disclosed ongoing plans to create at least nine empowerment hubs in each state of the federation, said over the years the group has identified gaps created in the polity that was occasioned by poverty, hunger and lack of capital to support initiatives.
According to him, the 10 million empowerment project was built around train the trainer, compulsory leadership training, skills acquisition using existing government infrastructure and raising capital for beneficiaries to become their own boss.
He said: ” We have a target to empower 10 million Nigerians early through the Solidarity Empowerment Initiative. We feel it’s important that we work with other partners transparently across different organisations in Nigeria.
“We intend to carry this programme through the creation of empowerment hubs across Nigeria.
“The empowerment hubs will work with our various partners, the state governments and the local governments across the regions and states and local governments of the country.”
Joel who noted that the project was estimated to cost millions of Naira, disclosed that the first tranche of funding for the project was already available to kick start the project.
“But we are seeking for more support for us to be able to achieve the target of empowering 10 million Nigerians. Under skills acquisition we want to look at ICT, agriculture, women and youth empowerment. These are other various programmes we are looking at.”
While revealing that the initiative has been in existence since 2013, Joel added that no fewer than 5000 Nigerians have thus far been empowered although through a different partnership programme.”
Commenting on sustainability of the project, he said, “it’s sustainable; we’ll be working in partnership with the government and we’ll also be working with the government structures.
“We have also been working with similar models that have worked in the past. Examples of these models are the SUREP programme, which was done by previous government.
“We are also aware of the NPOWER which was done previously by other governments. We have a similar model that can target youths and women across the span of the country.
“So far, we have the agreement of almost 15 MDAs to work with us on this project. We are planning for a meeting where we will set up a committee to implement this programme.”
One of the participants,….. Irene, the programme officer Focusing on Women and Girls Initiative, noted that with proper planning and institution, the project would go a long way in building the capacity of women and youths to build an economy for themselves individually before looking up to government for anything.
The Founder, Sustainable Menstrual Pad Initiative, Bolu Olorunfemi who expressed optimism on sustainability of the programme, said a lot of the empowerment programmes targeting women and youths in the country have made a lot of impact
“You don’t think about now, you think about your long term goals. Like the hubs where will it be, how many local governments will you have hubs and what programme are you teaching people?
“Are you teaching them to make clothes, learn catering and all that? They should consider a sustainable approach in their empowerment programme.
Also speaking, the spokesperson, hard rock self sufficiency Foundation, Moses Akwashi, was confident the planned empowerment hubs across the 774 local government areas would take over the defunct vocational skills centres which were once vibrant in the country.
“Nigerians, the government and even corporate organizations should embrace it. We have a lot of challenges in Nigeria today due to unemployment.
“We have a lot of things increasing cases of insecurity and domestic violence. Most of these things are as a result of frustration and lack of engagement.
“It’s a laudable project, and everyone should come together to support this so that it will become a reality.”
