…Office Of SDGspartners HCD Africa, Others To Educate Epe Women On Financial Literacy
The Lagos State Government on Wednesday restated commitment to women’s empowerment and financial inclusion in hard-to-reach communities for them to be independent and self-reliant.
The Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Sustainable Development Goals, SDG, Dr. Oreoluwa Finnih, spoke on Lagos State Government’s commitment during an advocacy programme for over 100 women at Odomola in the Eredo Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of the Epe area of Lagos State.
Speaking at the event held at the Aimasiko Compound, Alasko Hospital Bus Stop in Odomola, Finnih advised women to ensure they are engaged in one business or the other, no matter how small, to be financially empowered, with a call on them to imbibe saving culture.
Dr. Finnih, represented by her Technical Assistant, Dr. Oluwunmi Akinlade, said the advocacy programme in partnership with Human Capital Development (HCD) Africa was to increase advocacy for women’s financial inclusion in hard-to-reach communities as well as increase awareness of data’s role in delivering better HCD outcomes.
Stressing the need to educate women on financial literacy to empower them, she said: “Our advice to women is to make sure that they save. We want every woman to be able to fend for herself. We want women to be financially independent. We don’t want them to depend solely on any man. We don’t want to depend on other people, especially if we have children. We want to take care of our children and make sure that we have enough money to do whatever we want,” she said.
Also speaking, representatives of the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASSRA), Mr. Kayode Yusuf, and the National Identification Management Commission (NIMC), Mr. Saheed Adebayo, while educating the women in Epe on the importance of data for development, urged the women to ensure they are captured for the exercise.
Yusuf said LASSRA registration is very important for Lagos residents because it helps the State Government to plan on how to meet the community needs in terms of planning and provision of amenities, while Adebayo said NIN is important for every citizen of Nigeria.
Speaking during the event, some of the beneficiaries, especially those who were captured for NIN and LASSRA as well as those who opened bank accounts with some financial institutions on the ground, commended the Lagos State Government, HCD Africa, and other partners for coming to their communities for the advocacy programme which they noted has changed their orientation on financial inclusion and the importance of data.
Mrs. Oyinade Ilesanmi, Halimot Abiodun, and Alaba Oshin, among others who spoke to journalists during the event, said they learnt a lot of things on how to manage, invest, and spend their money.
They also commended the organisers for providing an avenue for them to open accounts with some financial institutions and doing NIN and LASSRA registrations.
The programme is aimed at equipping women in underserved areas across 12 Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in Lagos State with essential financial literacy, entrepreneurship training, and access to vital financial services.
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