In a bid to boost the economic landscape of Ekiti State, the government has initiated a training and empowerment program targeting over 5,000 young women to become Small and Medium Scale Entrepreneurs.
Commissioner for Trade, Investment, Industry, and Co-operatives, Mrs. Tayo Adeola, revealed this during the official kick-off of a three-day Business Management and Financial Literacy training for Ekiti’s female youths in Ado Ekiti.
This initiative, aimed at strengthening female entrepreneurship, is a collaborative effort between the State Government, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), the Enterprise Development Centre, and Pan-Atlantic University.
Mrs. Adeola emphasized the administration’s commitment to partnering with individuals and corporate bodies to uplift the youth, highlighting this as just the initial phase of the program. She pointed out recent government efforts, including facilitating a N1.5 billion support fund for SMEs, with N1 billion allocated as low-interest working capital for cooperatives and an additional N500 million loan program in conjunction with Access Bank.
While assuring inclusion of male youths in future empowerment initiatives, Adeola urged beneficiaries to leverage the program to enhance their economic standing, promising training in website design, branding, and free Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) registration upon completion.
Grateful beneficiaries, represented by Mrs. Deborah Odere, pledged to maximize the knowledge gained for economic sustainability and quality service delivery.
