Kwara's state government, in collaboration with technology experts, has launched an initiative designed to empower women in the state through the power of technology.
Speaking at the official launch of Tech4Marketwomen and the interested parties in Ilorin on Wednesday, the vice governor of Kwara, Mr. Kayode Alabi, said that the initiative was aimed at supporting women who worked in the informal sector through digital and financial training, with the support of the state government.
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“Women play a fundamental role in informal trade, agriculture to microscale and agalomisary processing, but often lack knowledge and financial tools to grow. With the technological women of the frames, we are equipping them with budget skills, record maintenance and sales monitoring, so that they can meet the requirements of financial institutions and obtain access to warnings and advantages,” he said.
Alabi, which praised the community of TA for the initiative, described the initiative as a transformative step towards the construction of a more inclusive economy.
“This initiative is designed to raise and empower our women in the market, which form the backbone of our local economy. Kwara's state government is totally committed to ensuring that the program grows and succeeds. I urge all beneficiaries to take advantage of the opportunities offered,” he said.
Representing the State Commissioner for the innovation and technology of commercials, Damilola Yusuf Adelodun, Mrs. Salaudeen A., in his main speech, described the project as more than a program, but a need.
“Today is not just a celebration of a new initiative. It is a commitment to empower and open new doors for women in the minor trade and the small -scale company through the power of technology,” he said.
Also speaking at the event, the director of Finance of the Ministry of Women's Affairs, Alhaji Abdul Rasheed Badawaki, who represented the finance commissioner, Opeyemi Afolashade, praised the program approach in economic empowerment.
“Empowering women is empowering generations,” he said. “When you empower an economically, you transform families, communities and, in fact, the nation.”
The program, according to the organizers, is structured in three phases: starting with awareness and training sessions, followed by a tutoring phase and concluding with the deployment of the Shebalance mobile application to help market women to access financial services and integrate into the formal financial system.
The TA community director, Tunmise Johnson, said the initiative is designed to close long data gaps in financial access and literacy among women in the informal sector.
Citing data from the National Statistics Office, he said that more than 90 percent of Nigeria's workforce is dedicated to informal work, and more than 70 percent of them are women, but many remain financially excluded.
Johnson explained that the initiative includes selected market training, tutoring support and the launch of an easy -to -use mobile application, Shebalance, to help them track their savings, expenses and daily sales.