Stakeholders have emphasised the need to empower women, particularly in rural areas, by integrating healthcare, agriculture, and economic support.
They made this known at the Kaduna Women Economic Empowerment Project stakeholders’ summit, funded by Bayers foundation in collaboration with Healthy Entrepreneur Nigeria, CoAmana, AFEX, and Jennifer Etuh Foundation.
The summit held in Abuja on Monday was, themed, “Economic and social impact of devaluation and inflation on women economic empowerment.”
A statement issued on Monday noted that panelists at the summit highlighted that partnerships between the government, Non-Governmental Organisations and private sector are critical to improving healthcare access and economic empowerment.
In her keynote address, the president of the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria, Dr. Pamela Ajayi, said healthcare access is key to boosting women’s productivity, particularly in agriculture.
“Healthy women can contribute significantly to household income and food security,” she stated.
The Chairman of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Olaniyi Yusuf acknowledged the current economic challenges, stressing that the situation is expected to persist for some time.
Yusuf, however, called for structural reforms to support women economically, especially those in agriculture.
“With inflation and economic instability, projects like WEE can help mitigate the effects on women-led households through access to credit and markets,” he said.
On his part, the Kaduna State Commissioner for Agriculture, Murtala Dabo, said the state government is providing support through programmes aimed at female farmers.
Dabo highlighted various initiatives to help women navigate these tough times.
The Founder of Advantage Health Africa, Abimbola Adebakin, explained the Kaduna WEE Project’s approach to empowering 35,000 female farmers and reaching 500,000 households through health access, modern farming techniques, skill acquisition, and financial inclusion.
According to her, women’s economic empowerment is key to addressing poverty and insecurity nationwide.
The Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Hadiza Balarabe, who was represented by the Commissioner for Human Services and Social Development, Rabi Salisu, reaffirmed the state’s dedication to empowering women.
She underscored the importance of initiatives like Kaduna WEE in achieving socio-economic stability.