By Chinyere Ogbuagu/Ukpa Ewa
Women in Isuofia Community, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, have been encouraged to embrace the opportunities provided by the Anambra Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up (AN-NFWP-SU) Project to improve their livelihoods and promote sustainable community development.
The appeal was made during the project’s community mobilisation and sensitisation exercise held on July 15, at the Isuofia Civic Centre. The event attracted women, men and youths from the community as part of ongoing efforts to deepen awareness and encourage grassroots participation in the Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up (NFWP-SU).
Welcoming the project team, the President-General of Isuofia Community, Engr. Fidelis Okafor, represented by the Vice President-General, Hon. Ogochukwu Ibeneme, commended Governor Chukwuma Soludo for initiating programmes aimed at improving the economic well-being of women.
He described the initiative as a timely intervention that would create meaningful economic opportunities for women, assuring the team of the community’s full support for its successful implementation. He noted that Isuofia is renowned for oil exploration, commerce and piggery, expressing optimism that the training and empowerment opportunities under the programme would help women expand their businesses and improve their standard of living.
Addressing participants, the Local Government Field Supervisor, Dr. Ebere Okonkwo, expressed satisfaction with the impressive turnout and explained that the Nigeria for Women Programme Scale-Up differs from conventional cooperative societies.
She advised participants to discard misconceptions arising from previous experiences with similar interventions, stressing that the project was carefully designed after evaluating lessons from earlier programmes to ensure greater impact and sustainability.
According to her, the project encourages women to cultivate a savings culture, build strong economic networks through Women Affinity Groups (WAGs), acquire livelihood skills and become more economically self-reliant while improving the welfare of their families and communities.
In their separate presentations, the State Project Coordinator, Ms. Hope Okoye, the Community Institution Builder, Mrs. Chiamaka Agbili, and the Livelihood Advisor, Dr. Ekene Adokwe, urged eligible women in Isuofia to actively participate in the programme by joining Women Affinity Groups, describing the groups as platforms for savings, financial inclusion, capacity building and collective economic advancement.
They further highlighted additional benefits available to participants, including enrolment in health insurance schemes, registration for the National Identification Number (NIN), and linkages to financial institutions and other economic opportunities.
Speaking on behalf of the women, the Community Woman Leader, Mrs. Ukamaka Ugokwe, expressed appreciation to the Anambra State Government for extending the initiative to the grassroots. She expressed confidence that the programme would improve the socio-economic conditions of women in the community, reduce poverty and promote self-reliance, assuring the project team that the women of Isuofia would actively participate in all aspects of the programme.
The exercise marked the tenth community to benefit from the ongoing community sensitisation campaign of the project across benefiting communities in Aguata LGA.
The event also featured the rendition of the women’s anthem, an interactive question-and-answer session that addressed participants’ concerns and awareness creation on gender-based violence, as well as the screening and recruitment of Ward Facilitators.
Chinyere Ogbuagu and Ukpa Ewa are of the Ministry of Information and Value Reformation,Anambra State
