- She highlighted the policy as a crucial driver for national development
The Presidency, through the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement, has launched an initiative to bolster women’s economic empowerment in Cross River State.
Hon. Gift Johnbull, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement for the South-South region, lauded the approval of the Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Policy in Calabar yesterday.
She highlighted the policy as a crucial driver for national development and economic growth, aiming to harness the potential of Nigeria’s female population.
Johnbull emphasized that the project extends beyond farming, aiming to create a comprehensive ecosystem for women’s participation in climate-smart agriculture. “Our goal is to produce enough to feed ourselves and nourish the nation and West Africa, with women leading this transformation,” she stated. The initiative will support the creation of 25 new cooperatives and strengthen over 50 existing ones with a N5 million investment, providing inputs, fertilizers, and machinery to enhance the production of six locally grown commodities across Cross River State.
The wife of the Cross River State governor, Rev. Eyoanwan Bassey Otu, represented by Dr. Mrs. Comfort Oko, stressed the need to return to agriculture to combat hunger. She noted that Cross River is well-prepared for the project, with 863 clusters in commodities such as cocoa, cassava, rice, oil palm, maize, and aquaculture.
Dolapo Alayaki, a consultant with Albright Stonebridge Group, introduced the WEE Policy and Project Earn from the Soil, underscoring its goal to provide a structured, multi-sectoral approach to empower women economically and socially.
Johnson Ebokpo, the Commissioner for Agriculture in Cross River State, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to prioritizing agriculture despite topographical challenges, citing new irrigation projects to ensure adequate water supply.
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