The Akwa Ibom State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to women empowerment as a strategic pillar of its development agenda.
The State Deputy Governor, Senator (Dr) Akon Eyakenyi, stated this on Tuesday, during the inaugural meeting of the Multisectoral Coordination Structure (MCS) for the Nigeria for Women Project (NFWP) held at the Government House, Uyo.
Senator Eyakenyi who co-chairs the Committee, praised the Chairman of the Committee and Governor of the State, Pastor Umo Eno, for gender-friendly policies and emphasized his approval for scale-up of the NFWP in the State was a deliberate move to unlock socio-economic opportunities for women across all 31 Local Government Areas of the State.
She described the project as a lifeline for women, particularly in rural communities where access to tools, training, health insurance, and microcredit could transform lives.
The Deputy Governor explained that the MCS, comprising professionals in education, health, agriculture, finance, and social welfare, will work together to implement interventions tailored to the specific needs of different communities.
“I must express our deepest gratitude to His Excellency, Pastor Umo Eno, whose visionary leadership has made this possible. His approval for the scale-up of the Nigeria for Women Project in the State is a declaration that the empowerment of women is central to our development agenda.
“The Multisectoral Coordination Structure in its real sense, a team of passionate development stakeholders covering the educators, the health professionals, agriculturalists, financial planners, social welfare advocates, market strategists, and human capital development specialists working together to create meaningful change in the society, as it relates to the women.
“Imagine a mother from a rural sector, for example, those from Ikot Abasi, gaining access to modern farming tools and training. Imagine a woman from Oron embracing sanitation and health insurance without being prompted, or securing micro-credits and business training that transforms their income. That’s the advantage of the project”, she said.
The Deputy Governor described the formation of Women’s Affinity Groups (WAGs) as crucial to delivering services and training aimed at economic upliftment,
with strong monitoring and evaluation frameworks to track progress and address gaps.
While acknowledging the challenges that come with coordinating multiple Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) involved in the project, Eyakenyi called for collaboration, urging that all stakeholders, regardless of their official designation, should work to ensure the success of the initiative.
“Let’s speak honestly when things aren’t working, support one another through challenges, and always keep our eyes on the mission,” she charged the Committee.
She thanked the World Bank for its continued support, noting that the empowerment of women was not just a social imperative, but a developmental necessity.
“When you empower a woman, you empower the entire community. From that one woman, the family will be touched. From there, the community will be touched. And so it goes round,” she said.
In her presentation, the Committee Secretary, Barrister Ofonime Etukunwa, explained that the scale-up of the project involves expanding the Women Affinity Groups (WAGs) into federated structures that progress from village organisations to cluster and local government-level cooperatives, clarifying that “the approach encourages women to move beyond individual efforts to collective action, maximizing their economic potential.
“One key objective is to ensure that women, particularly those in rural areas, become banked and financially literate, addressing a major gap we identified during the initial phase. We engaged key institutions such as the National Identity Management Commission and various banks to facilitate the registration and banking of women, which is critical for their inclusion in the formal economy.”
Recall that the State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, PhD, had last month inaugurated the Multi-sectoral Coordinating Structure (MCS), Committee to optimise the success of the Nigeria For Women Project (NFWP), in the State with funding of N450 million for the scale-up of the project.
The inaugural meeting which featured an interactive session, was attended by members of the State Executive Council, including Commissioner for Woman Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs Inibehe Etukudo; Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Emem Bob, Commissioner for Trade and Investment, Mr. Ubong Inyang, as well as the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Emmanuel John, Permanent Secretaries, amongst other members of the Committee.
