Economic Empowerment
Source: Nigerian Tribume The Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development is to partner with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to ensure the inclusion of Nigerian women in the financial system, by promoting financial inclusion through their various initiatives, such as the N220 billion Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Fund (MSMEDF) as well as their Agricultural Financing Scheme.
Speaking in Abuja at the weekend, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Zainab Maina noted that the economic well-being of women was urgently required to guarantee their full participation in governance and decision-making.
The Minister who received the executive members of the Nigerian Quintessential Business Women and the Association of Non-Bank Micro-finance Institution of Nigeria in her office, noted that the economic well-being of women was urgently required to guarantee their full participation in governance and decision-making.
Maina said "my dream is to see that Nigerian women become economically and politically empowered and independent, to enable them to contribute more meaningfully to national development endeavours.
"This is because the most important independence anybody can acquire is economic independence. Once you are economically empowered, the sky is your limit."
She however regretted that there were several barriers to the full optimisation of women's economic potentials, ranging from cultural to religious, traditional, and legal discrimination, among others.
Maina said the Ministry had taken necessary steps to assist women to be financially independent, through a multifaceted approach to mobilise funds and resources.
The Minister disclosed that in order to create access to loanable funds at the grassroots, the Ministry established the Women Fund for Economic Empowerment (WOFEE), in collaboration with the Bank of Agriculture, adding that over 5000 women had benefited so far from the scheme.