October 24, 2017

Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State on Tuesday called for deliberate and articulate policies to support female entrepreneurs in the country.

Ambode made the call at the 17th National Women’s Conference organised by the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO) with theme “She creates, She Transforms: Creativity and Skill Acquisition.”

He spoke as the first female mechanic in Nigeria, Mrs Sandra Aguebor, was presented with the inspirational woman of the year award at the conference.

“With the female population in our country today, it is clear that our women have the capacity to positively affect the Nigerian economy and are already doing so.

“Supporting women businesses should no longer be seen as a social support or empowerment, but as a necessary step to revive and improve the economy,” Ambode said.

He said that so far, N2.1 billion had been disbursed to 6,613 women under the state’s Employment Trust Fund (ETF), which represented 42 per cent of the total loans disbursed.

According to him, the target is to ensure that at least 60 per cent of the loans are given to women.

He restated the commitment of his government to the course of women, encouraging more women to approach the ETF and take advantage of other initiatives to support their businesses.

Also, Gov. Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom commended the committee for keeping the vision envisioned for over 17 years.

Emmanuel condemned racial, tribal and gender inequality, saying that the country needed to open more doors for women.

He encouraged women not to look at the limiting lines drawn by history or politics, but rather live their lives creating and transforming.

In a goodwill message, Gov. Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State said that efforts must be made to constantly develop women.

“A life without women will be full of crisis, it will be hopeless,” Fayose said.

He advised men to stop seeing women as second fiddle.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Gov. Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa and Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo were also present at the event.