Etisalat Lifts 200 Women in Jigawa, Kano States

No fewer than 200 women in the North-Western states of Jigawa and Kano have benefited from the support of Nigeria’s most innovative telecommunications company, Etisalat, through its community support partnership programme which was launched recently in the two states.

The programme held in Kano between 25th to the 27th of November with a graduation and certificate presentation ceremony, witnessed a large turnout of more than 100 women who were trained in various vocational skills including interior decoration, perfume making, shoe crafting and bead making to mention a few.

Speaking at the ceremony in Kano, Ibrahim Dikko, director, Government and Regulatory Affairs at Etisalat, explained that the initiative was launched as one of the avenues to empower women in the rural areas. “This is a new initiative of the company aimed at reaching women in the grassroots at the point of their needs, setting them up in various businesses they require to become self-sufficient. We are poised to making an impact in the society and this is one of the steps we have taken to ensure that we touch the lives positively” he said.

Also speaking at the graduation ceremony, Hajia Binta Jubril, Kano state Commissioner for Women Affairs, noted that the state government was exceptionally pleased with the level of commitment Etisalat had shown towards uplifting the lives of women. Hajia Jubril added that “although the Kano state government had done a lot to support its people economically, such support as this from Etisalat is one of a kind and highly appreciated”.

One of the participants at the training, 34 year old Safina Aminu noted that she would never remain the same after the training. “Life cannot be the same again. Our eyes are now open to many businesses we can start doing even from inside our houses. I am very grateful to Etisalat for choosing us. We will now start supporting our families with the income we make from these new skills we have acquired” she said.

In Jigawa state, Hajia Hadiza Abdulwahab, commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, had echoed the same commendation on the telecoms company during the training programme in Jigawa between the 18th to 20th November, calling the initiative a worthy course for women in the state and a challenge to other organisations in Nigeria.

She further thanked Etisalat for selecting Jigawa state for the maiden edition of the programme, expressing her assurance that the beneficiaries of the training will put to practice all they have been taught.

Apart from the two-day training, Etisalat also gave all 200 participants a start-up grant to enable them setup their own businesses in the areas of their choice.