By Abasi Ita
The Innocent Chukwuemeka Chukwuma Empowerment Foundation has launched a four month vocational and digital skills training programme for young girls in Cross River State aimed at equipping them with practical skills for economic empowerment and self reliance.
The programme, to be implemented by the Girls’ Power Initiative Calabar Centre, was unveiled during an inception and visibility meeting in Calabar to formally kick start the project.
Speaking at the forum, which brought together beneficiaries, benefactors, mentors and trainers, the Head of Programmes at the Girls’ Power Initiative, Mrs Ndodeye Bassey Obongha, said the objective of the programme is to equip young girls with digital skills that will give them a competitive advantage in an increasingly technology driven world.
According to the organisers, the programme is designed to provide young girls with vocational and digital competencies that will enhance their ability to earn a livelihood and participate effectively in the digital economy.
Mrs Obongha also thanked the foundation for supporting the project, noting that the programme would help bridge the skills gap faced by many young girls and open new pathways for self reliance.
She added that the project forms part of broader efforts to promote digital inclusion, entrepreneurship and leadership development among adolescent girls in the state.
Earlier, the Coordinator of the Girls’ Power Initiative Calabar Centre, Comfort Ikpeme, expressed appreciation to the foundation for its support as well as to Project Alert on Violence Against Women and its Executive Director, Dr Josephine Effah Chukwuma, for their continued commitment to advancing the rights and empowerment of women and girls.
In her remarks, the Director of Child Development in the Cross River State Ministry of Women Affairs, Mrs Felicia Oti, commended the initiative and described it as a bold step toward helping the girl child realise her full potential.
She said the training would complement ongoing government efforts to equip girls with relevant skills needed to change prevailing narratives and improve their future prospects.
Also speaking, Ms Oni Davids of the Basic Rights Counsel Initiative expressed appreciation to the foundation for the initiative, noting that the training would stimulate economic growth, create opportunities and reduce the vulnerability of young girls to exploitation and abuse.
Parents and guardians who attended the meeting welcomed the initiative and expressed optimism that the training would equip the beneficiaries with practical skills capable of improving their future prospects, while stakeholders expressed hope that the programme would strengthen the confidence, capacity and economic opportunities of young girls across Cross River State and contribute to efforts aimed at promoting gender equality and youth empowerment.