Rep. Musa Garo (Gwarzo/Kabo Federal Constituency) at the National Assembly, has urged government at all levels to focus more on economic empowerment for rural women as the nation grappled with post COVID-19 challenges.
Garo made the call on Friday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on the sidelines of a capacity building programme for women from Gwarzo/Kabo Federal Constituency of Kano State.
The event held at the Federal Secretariat in Kano had in attendance participants from various communities in the constituency.
The women were trained on basic entrepreneurial skills and the know-how needed for successful small scale businesses and were empowered with start-up packs, including sewing machines.
According to Garo, many of the COVID-19 economic intervention initiatives are targeted at urban dwellers.
He however noted that those in the grassroots, especially women needed not just palliatives but economic empowerment to become self-reliant.
“There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought on us a lot of economic challenges, and those in the grassroots are not left out.
“When you empower a woman, she will take care of her family and the entire community will be better for it, and that is why we brought this programme for them.
“So, I urge every privileged Nigeria, especially our government at all levels to take the empowerment of those in the grassroots seriously,” he said.
Garo told NAN that the event was organised in collaboration with the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) as part of his Zonal Intervention Programmes.
He therefore urged beneficiaries to make productive use of the start-up packs for them to become economically self-reliant and advised them against selling the machines they were given rather put them in their businesses.
Earlier, Mr Adedayo Thomas, the Executive Director of NFVCB said the capacity building programme was held under the board’s Media Literacy and Capacity Building Modules for Bagwai/Shanono and Gwarzo/Kabo Federal Constituencies of Kano State.
“This women capacity building initiative is in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s empowerment plan for Nigeria women.
“When women are empowered, it affects their children and family positively because their roles are very crucial in national economic development,” he said.
Thomas therefore urged beneficiaries to make good use of the sewing machines and other start-up packs they received at the event.
Edited By: Chioma Ugboma/Grace Yussuf (NAN)
