AfriPulse
The Office of the Vice-President has inaugurated ‘Advancing Sustainable Heritage and Autonomy’ (ASHA), a project aimed at empowering 200,000 women through renewable energy, digital literacy, entrepreneurship, and banking initiatives across Nigeria.
ASHA is coordinated by the Presidential Committee on Economic and Financial Inclusion (PreCEFI), Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), and the Pan-African platform, WawuAfrica.
WawuAfrica is a digital platform that empowers women professionals, artisans, and entrepreneurs by providing tools, community, and opportunities to learn, earn, and grow their businesses sustainably across the African continent.
Dr Nurudeen Zauro, Technical Adviser to the President on Economic and Financial Inclusion, inaugurated the ASHA project Thursday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, marking a significant step towards women’s economic empowerment.
Zauro stated that beneficiaries would be financially and technologically empowered through the pilot phase, helping women take advantage of opportunities within the renewable energy and entrepreneurship sectors nationwide.
He emphasised President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s commitment to improve Nigerian women’s economic status, stressing that empowering women was the most effective way to combat poverty across the nation.
Zauro noted that government alone could not shoulder women’s empowerment, highlighting strong partnerships with private local and international sectors to deepen economic inclusion and deliver sustainable impact.
“President Tinubu stresses government cannot do it alone; partnerships with private sectors are vital. The Aso Accord on Economic and Financial Inclusion reflects this commitment to support vulnerable groups.
“We are focused on reaching vulnerable groups, especially women. Training a woman means training the entire nation, which is why we convened today to ensure effective delivery of the programme,” Zauro added.
Dr Abiodun Essiet, Senior Special Assistant on Community Engagement (North-Central), emphasised the importance of including all women categories, including those with disabilities and various business sizes, to ensure equitable programme reach.
“Empowering women brings hope and happiness to society. Women with different needs and characteristics, small traders to large business owners, must be included, especially those often overlooked,” Essiet said.
She urged inclusive outreach efforts targeting the most vulnerable women who typically lacked support, calling on media to publicise the programme and its inclusivity goals widely.
Alhaji Hamza Baba, National Programme Manager of GEEP, said the ASHA project aligned perfectly with GEEP’s mandate to expand credit and enterprise support for underserved groups, especially women, youth, and persons with disabilities.
“Our mission focuses on building sustainable livelihoods and meaningful national development by supporting underserved individuals.
“We are committed to working hand-in-hand with partners to impact Nigerian women and communities,” Baba affirmed.
Source: TheWhistler | Read the Full Story…
