Sikirat Shehu
The Kwara State government on Thursday empowered 350 artisans selected across the 16 local government areas with working tools and cash.
The empowerment programme was organized by the Office of the Special Assistant to the governor on Women Empowerment headed by Bolanle Ismail.
Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq in his address at the event reaffirmed that his administration has an obligation to ensure that no segment of the society is left behind.
The governor said the programme aligns with his administration’s efforts to drive inclusive growth, poverty reduction, and societal cohesion.
“Our objective for supporting this kind of initiative is to give everyone a fair sense of belonging. This is not tokenism as some people may claim. It is a form of economic inclusion which is important to strengthen societal cohesion,” according to the governor.
“Our appeal to the beneficiaries is to use it properly. I’m aware that some of the beneficiaries had earlier been trained and this is only to get them starting. For some others, it is government’s response to their needs assessment at this time,” he said.
“Every society is divided into strata and each of them deserves to be taken care of within available resources. This is what we are committed to. We will not leave anyone behind.
“A careful reading of our Economic Sustainability and Delivery Plan 2021-2024 shows clearly the direction we are headed. We are not just committed to opening up Kwara for sustainable development by building critical infrastructure, we are working very hard to achieve inclusive growth that brings everyone on board.”
In her submission, Bolanle Ismail,
Special Assistant to the governor on Women Empowerment explained that the administration believes that entrepreneurship is a viral component of the global campaign against mass poverty.
“It is vital to have support mechanisms, organisations, mentors, networks and training through which we can implement our brilliant, game changing ideas. We are incredibly fortunate to have all of these in the roadmap of the government.
“Governor Abdulrazaq is always ready to rekindle the lost hope and bring laughter to Kwaran women,” she said.
Beneficiaries were given tools, including sewing machines, deep freezer, grinding machines, make up kits and cash based on their needs assessment.