Akwa Ibom Women Seek Dedicated South-South Enterprise Fund As SSDC Engages Women Groups on Development Needs, Partnership
The Akwa Ibom State Representative on the Board of the South-South Development Commission (SSDC), Hon. Chief Nkereuwem Christopher Ebong, has called for stronger participation of women in shaping development interventions across the South-South region.
Ebong made the call on Tuesday during a stakeholders’ engagement between the SSDC and women’s groups in Akwa Ibom State, held at La Mems Hotel, Uyo.
He said the engagement was designed to provide an avenue for the Commission to listen to women, understand the challenges confronting them and obtain ideas that could contribute to the development of interventions that are relevant to their needs.
The Akwa Ibom representative, who represented the Commission’s management at the engagement, stressed that women should not be viewed merely as beneficiaries of development programmes, but as active contributors and partners in shaping the development of their communities.
According to him, the impact of empowering women extends beyond the individual, as women who acquire knowledge, skills and economic opportunities can transfer the benefits to their families and communities.
“A woman who gains access to knowledge can transfer that knowledge to her community. A woman who participates meaningfully in development can become a catalyst for positive change.”
Ebong said the SSDC recognised the importance of partnerships involving government institutions, civil society organisations, development partners, private-sector actors, traditional institutions, community leaders and women’s organisations in achieving sustainable development.
He urged the women to use the engagement to clearly communicate their experiences, challenges and recommendations to the Commission, assuring them that their contributions would help shape interventions that are inclusive and responsive to the realities of the people.
He said the Commission must build bridges and strengthen partnerships around the development process, adding that sustainable regional development could not be achieved in isolation.
The engagement also provided an opportunity for the women to present specific areas in which they wanted the SSDC to intervene.
Speaking on behalf of the Akwa Ibom State Government, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Hon. Inibehe Silas Etukudo, represented by Nkechi Udoh, called for the establishment of a dedicated South-South Women Enterprise Fund to provide grants and other financial support to women entrepreneurs, particularly those in rural communities.
Etukudo said women in rural areas needed deliberate economic interventions that would enable them to build sustainable livelihoods.
“Our market women need grants, not just loans at high interest rates,” she said.
She also called for SSDC intervention in the areas of gender-based violence, skills acquisition and economic empowerment, including the establishment of safe homes and mobile courts across the three senatorial districts.
The Commissioner further advocated skills development for young women in emerging areas such as solar energy, maritime business, ICT and the oil and gas value chain.
She also proposed greater representation of women in Community Development Committees, among contractors and beneficiaries of SSDC interventions.
Also speaking, Mrs Iniobong Bob, wife of the Commissioner for Finance, commended the SSDC for organising the engagement, describing it as a needs-assessment exercise.
She called for the establishment of agro-processing facilities that would enable women to add value to agricultural produce and improve their livelihoods, while drawing attention to the challenges posed by flooding on farms operated by women.
Women participants at the event also commended President Bola Tinubu for appointing Ms. Usoro Akpabio to lead the SSDC and called for greater inclusion of women’s groups in the Commission’s programmes and activities.
They urged the Commission to maintain regular engagement with women and ensure that their needs and perspectives were reflected in development interventions across the region.
The engagement formed part of the SSDC’s ongoing stakeholder consultations with groups and institutions in Akwa Ibom State as the Commission seeks to identify development needs and build partnerships around its regional mandate. The Commission has similarly engaged youth and traditional leaders in the state in recent weeks.