Group in partnership with MDAs, int’l agencies to empower 10m women, youths

By Chris Ochayi

A group, known as Solidarity Empowerment Initiative, SEI, has raised concerns over the rising levels of poverty and unemployment in the country.

The Programme Coordinator of SEI, Sammy Joel, spoke at a workshop held with some Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, in Abuja.

He told newsmen that the group was making efforts to bring succour to some women and youths in the country.

He disclosed that SEI was collaborating with some government and international agencies to empower over 10 million women and youths with skills acquisition and employment opportunities annually.

According to him, over 15 Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, as well as international and local organisations have indicated interest to partner with SEI.

He noted that funding for the project was drawn from international and local philanthropists.

He said there is ongoing plans to create at least nine empowerment hubs in each state of the federation,.

He added that 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.

The 10 million empowerment project he said 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.

According to him, ” 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.”

He noted that the project was estimated to cost millions of Naira, while also disclosing further that the first tranche of funding for the project was already available to kick start the project.

He said, “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.”

On the project’s sustainability 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.”

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.

He said, “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.”

In her remarks, the Founder, Sustainable Menstrual Pad Initiative, Bolu Olorunfemi assured that the programme would be on sustained.

“A lot of the empowerment programmes targeting women and youths in the country have made a lot of impact “, she said, adding, “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.”