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Tag: Magdalene Ohenhen

  • Int’l Women’s Day: Commissioner parades Obaseki’s achievements

    The Edo State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. (Mrs.) Magdalene Ohenhen, has commended Governor Godwin Obaseki for bridging gender gaps across different sectors of the state.

    Ohenhen gave the commendation while addressing journalists in Benin City, on Friday, in commemoration of the 2019 International Women’s Day.

    She described the Obaseki-led administration as gender friendly, noting that many women have been given the opportunity to contribute to the economic and political growth of the state.

    “Governor Obaseki and his wife, Mrs. Betsy Obaseki have done a lot for women in the state.  Mrs. Obaseki spearheaded the process which led to the signing of the Violence Against Persons (VAP) Law in the state,” she said.

    According to the commissioner, “For the first time in the state, we have a Special Adviser on Gender Issues and 18 other Special Assistants on Gender Issues, who were selected from the 18 Local Government Areas of the state to bridge the gender gaps in their localities.”

    Read Also: Obaseki mourns death of Prof. Elebute

    The governor, she said, “inaugurated a committee on the implementation of the World Bank-sponsored Nigeria for Women Project to benefit 54,000 women in the state.”

    On the activities lined up to mark the 2019 International Women’s Day, Ohenhen said the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development will organise a-one day advocacy/sensitisation workshop for women across the state to celebrate the gender-friendly policies of the Obaseki-led administration.

    She added that the global theme for the 2019 International Women’s Day, ‘Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate for Change’ was apt as the growing digital divide among genders in innovation and technology needs to be addressed.

  • FG/World Bank to empower 54,000 women in Edo

    Godwin Obaseki, Governor of Edo State has said that at least 54,000 Edo women are to benefit from the Federal Government World Bank-supported Nigeria for Women Project (NWP).

    A statement by Obaseki’s Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Mr Crusoe Osagie on Thursday, quoted the governor as saying that the would-be beneficiaries of the pilot phase would be drawn from the three senatorial districts in the state.

    Obaseki, who was speaking at the inauguration of the State Steering Committee and State Technical Committee of NWP in Benin, said that the project was being supported by the World Bank in collaboration with the Federal Government.

    In the pilot phase, the project is expected to empower women in Edo, Ogun, Niger, Taraba, Abia, and Kebbi states.

    Read Also: Obaseki calls for global network on women empowerment

    The governor commended the programme, saying that his administration was committed to bridging the economic and social gaps existing between the male and female genders in the state.

    “We are addressing all forms of gender gaps, which have promoted extreme poverty in the state.

    “So much is being done to ensure that women are empowered with relevant skills, which will make them more useful and self reliant in a highly competitive world,” he said.

    According to Obaseki, empowering women will have a multiplier effect on the nation’s economy and poverty reduction.

    The governor, who said that the project needed to be data-based, called on the steering and technical committees for the project to come up with the best possible modalities that would guarantee successful execution of the project.

    “We need to come up with specific action plans and monitoring mechanism so we can measure outcomes,” he added.

    He said that Ward Development Committees should be part of the screening process for the beneficiaries of the project to allow for fair representation.

    In her remark, Mrs Magdalene Ohenhen, the state’s Commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Development, said that the ministry was passionate about the project.

    Ohenhen, therefore, assured the governor and other stakeholders of a successful implementation of the project.

    She said that the governor’s resolve and commitment to mainstreaming women into governance in the state made it possible for Edo to be part of the Nigeria for women project.

    NAN

  • Edo commissioner promises to prioritize women’s role

    The Edo State Government has said that it would continue to prioritise the role of women in development, to ensure the state’s social inclusion policy is driven in such a manner that more voices of women are not just heard but that they take more active part in various developmental programmes in the state.

    Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Magdalene Ohenhen, disclosed this during a parley with women leaders drawn from different parts of the state, which was organised to mark the United Nations Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The event was hosted in Oria, Esan South East Local Government of the state.

    The commissioner, who said that the state government in the new year, will fortify its social inclusion programme to create more spaces for women to actively participate in governance, thanked the governor for the opportunities provided for women in the state.

    Read Also: Edo civil servants hail Obaseki for early payment of salaries

    According to her, “We appreciate the governor for all he has done for women in the state. Today, we here to ensure that women, as home builders, do more to make their homes better in 2019. In the course of our assignment, we have realized that there has been a lot of domestic violence. In 2019, we want to ensure that women manage their homes better in order to reduce the incidence of domestic violence. ”

    She said that the welfare department of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development have on a daily basis had to address issues of conflict in families, noting that the ministry was working to ensure that such cases are reduced to the barest minimum.

    “This is why we have gathered women here today to deliberate on the way forward. With women from various local government areas coming together on these issues, we hope that we will have a reduction of such cases in the new year.”

     

     

  • Agric devt: Edo relaunches monthly farmers’ market

    … as shoppers get 20% discount on prices of commodities

    In a renewed effort to ensure market linkage for farmers in rural communities, the Edo State Government has reopened the monthly market with a charge to women to add value to their farm produce so they can command higher prices.

    Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Magdalene Ohenhen, made the call at the relaunch of the Edo Monthly Market at Urhokpota Hall, in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State.

    Some of the products exhibited at the market were local rice, sour garri, packaged yam and plantain flour, snails, bush meat, dried fish, locust beans, pigeon pea, vegetables, local soaps, palm oil, raw and fried groundnuts, and tubers of yam.

    A mudu of white garri, 4 kilograms of local rice, a bunch of plantain and bottle of groundnut which sell for N500, N1300, N700 and N800 respectively at major markets in Benin City, were sold for N300, N1,000, N500 and N500 respectively.

    After inspecting the different food items brought at the market, Ohenhen said the essence of the monthly market was to encourage more women to go into production and processing of farm produce which would be sold at competitive prices.

    “The monthly market was introduced in the previous administration but did not hold after some time. We decided to revive it and make it bigger and better,” she said.

    Noting that the state government is committed to sustaining the market, she said, “We are promoting value addition in our local produce so that we can create an export market. Before now, we had carried out advocacy at the different local government councils on the need for women to be empowered and gainfully involved in business ventures.”

    She said the monthly market is an avenue to showcase what women are producing locally, noting that it was encouraging that some women have started packaging their produce to attract higher prices.

    According to her, “From what we have seen today, the women are interested in selling and adding value to their farm produce. Packaged yam and plantain flour made in Esan West Local Government Area can be found in the market and we want more women to be involved in value addition.”

    She said a permanent site would be secured in Benin City, the state capital, where the monthly market would be held.

    Mrs. Mary Edokpa, from Esan Central LGA commended the state government for the initiative, saying it would promote resourcefulness and entrepreneurship.

    “Everything brought from my LGA to the market was sold at very affordable prices and we look forward to attending the next monthly market,” she said.

  • Int’l Day of Rural Women: Obaseki harps on inclusive policy

    assures on health, gender mainstreaming

     

    The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said that the state government has prioritised policies to place women at the fore of development policies and programmes, assuring that health and gender mainstreaming are key drivers of his agenda.

    Governor Obaseki said this in commemoration of the International Day of Rural Women, marked every October 15, by the United Nations and its various organs.

    He stressed that development policies in the state place women at the heart of intervention, as women have been empowered in either driving some of his administration’s key policies or at the receiving end of the policy’s positive impact.

    According to him, “We run an inclusive government in Edo State. This much is apparent in the manner in which we conduct our affairs and those that are the target of our intervention programmes. As a government, we cannot overlook the place of women in rural communities in driving development because of their illustrious roles as mobilisers, activists, cornerstones of progress and a dependable hand in all spheres of human life. Hence, when intervention programmes are designed, women are given the front role.”

    He added that a number of the state government’s programmes such as the Edo Healthcare Improvement Programme (Edo-HIP), the Ward Development Committee, Edo Food and Agriculture Cluster (Edo-FAC) and the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (Edo-BEST) programmes have components that address the needs of rural women, ensuring that they get the necessary support and structures to live better, rewarding lives.

    Noting that the 18 Special Assistants and a Special Adviser on Gender Issues in the government contribute to policy designs to engage more women, he said, “Our government accommodates the views and inputs of all. The 18 Special Assistants serve as our ears in the rural areas and bring to the fore the issues faced by women at the grassroots. This ensures that we are in touch with them.”

    Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Magdalene Ohenhen, in a chat with journalists, said that the state government has embarked on a number of projects to improve health, education and other indices of development for the benefit of rural women.

    Read Also: Obaseki launches agric cluster for 200 farmers

    According to her, “Through Edo-HIP, at least 200 functional Primary Health Care (PHC) centers will be refurbished to attend to the needs of rural women across the state. Work is currently ongoing on 20 of these centers and those in Warake, Ofumwegbe, Uwelu, Ugbeke and Ukpenu have been completed, to attend to the needs of mothers and children.”

    On Gender Mainstreaming with the 18 Senior Special Assistants and one Special Adviser on Gender Issues, she said, “The state government’s appointment of focal persons for gender issues in the local government is to ensure that the voices of women are heard and their input is taken in formulating policies.”

    According to the United Nations, “Essential services on which millions of rural women and girls depend—health, education, childcare, shelters—are chronically underfunded or simply unavailable. Where they exist, they are often the first to be hit by austerity measures, which are once again on the rise.

    “In 2018 alone, 124 countries are expected to be cutting their budgets, eroding social protection measures and essential services on which so many rural women and girls depend. This is not inevitable. In virtually all countries, there is scope for raising or reallocating resources to strengthen public services that are essential for women and girls. It is a matter of political will and of using all the available policy tools. The cost of inaction is simply too high.”

  • Awosika mentors Edo youths on entrepreneurship

    Chairman, First Bank of Nigeria, Mrs. Ibukun Awosika, has charged youths in Edo State to take advantage of funding opportunities, especially low-interest credit facilities, to grow their businesses and contribute to the development drive of the state government.

    Awosika, who was a guest speaker at a two-day workshop for entrepreneurs and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the state, said that the Bank of Industry (BOI) presents a good window of opportunity for entrepreneurs to grow their businesses to scale.

    According to her, “Young entrepreneurs should take advantage of credit facilities offered by the BOI. The funding from BOI is at a price that no commercial bank can offer small businesses and start-ups.”

    She said, “youths don’t have an excuse not to be able to start-up small businesses in a country of almost 200 million people. All that is required is a platform through which people can be aware of an entrepreneur’s product or service.”

    Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Edo State, Mrs. Magdalene Ohenhen, urged participants to take advantage of the opportunity created by Governor Godwin Obaseki to groom themselves and grow their businesses, adding, “As the state has continued to create opportunities for youths to make wealth, I urge them to remain focused and dream big as the governor is determined to assist youths achieve that dream.”

    Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Job Creation and Skills Development/Head EdoJobs, Mrs. Ukinebo Dare, said the workshop was organised for budding entrepreneurs, noting, “The collaboration between the state government through EdoJobs and First Bank of Nigeria is long term, which would facilitate the creation of job opportunities for youths in Edo State, in line with Governor Obaseki’s promise to create 200,000 jobs.”

    Dare said the workshop would equip the young entrepreneurs with skills that would enable them focus on the future while contributing their quota to the development of the state, stressing, “There are lots of opportunities out there for entrepreneurs to expand their market. The training was also packaged to assist them grow their businesses through which they would also employ others.”

    According to her, “There is arrangement in place for the participants to get access to funds which would serve as capital for their businesses. They would have access to the fund after completing the training.”

    Dare urged youths in the state to register on the EdoJobs portal as registration on the portal still continues, noting, “Those who participated in the training had their data captured on the portal.”