Economic Empowerment
As part of its Corporate and Social Responsibility, Unilever said it has set aside N40 million to empower and create favourable living environment for women in the society.
Managing Director Unilever Plc, Mr. Thabo Mabe said this at the official launch of Unilever Women Empowerment Programme (UWEP) in partnership with Alliance for Africa yesterday in Abuja.
She said women are very important for the development of modern societies and therefore need to be empowered.
Thabo said yesterday was one of those emotional excitements where Unilever touches the heart of ordinary women who are facing starvation in Nigeria while adding that the N40 million is a modular investment that the company want to make it bigger because it is economic empowerment for women.
"We empower them by giving them a kiosk and a start off products of N25,000 and they start selling and we set up a very clear logistic arrangement that is very favorable to these women," he said.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Women Affairs, Alhaji Idris Kuta, who represented the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Zainab Maina said government is playing her part in promoting gender participation for national development and that is why two funds had been provided at the ministerial level to encourage women in business.
The Programme Officer for the Alliance for Africa, Mrs. Osai Ojigo said the programme is aimed towards women economic empowerment and to ensure that women in local community can have a source of livelihood.
She said: "If women are empowered there will be different in the lives of their children, their family lives will improve and most importantly the education of their children will improve.
"We found out that most women, their husbands leave them at home and the women are left with the children and they need support in other to bring up these children, so if these children go to school they will be able to break the circle of poverty because they will end up becoming graduate and getting good jobs or become self employed."