About 30 women in Kaduna state have been impacted with life skills and provided with funding opportunities to increase their livelihoods.
Daily Trust reports that the women are among the second cohort of the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs (AWE), a United States government initiative that supports women entrepreneurs.
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Speaking at the graduation, the Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Dr Hadiza Balaraba, commended the initiative which she said, was in line with the Kaduna State Women Entrepreneurs Loan scheme.
She, however, urged the academy to go to the grassroots and get more local businesswomen involved in the programme.
She also challenged the participants to use the requisite skills and knowledge they have been equipped with to take their ventures to the next level while helping them to reintegrate into society.
The coordinator, Toe to Heel Initiative, Mrs Amina Lawal, said the programme was designed to cultivate entrepreneurial know-how in Kaduna women to improve their livelihoods.
She explained that AWE helped women entrepreneurs connect with funding opportunities, enhance opportunities for business expansion and increase the likelihood of entrepreneurial success.
Speaking earlier, the president, National Council of Women Societies, Kaduna State Council, Barr Zainab Hassan, said with the quality of training impacted on the participants, the sky should be their starting point in their business ventures.
US Ambassador Mary Beth Leonard explained that the US government supports women’s full and free participation in the economy as they seek to thrive in the workforce, succeed as entrepreneurs and create stability and prosperity in their communities.
She welcomed the AWE graduates to the US government exchange alumni community, a prestigious and vast network of like-minded and highly regarded professionals across the country.
“I encourage you to take advantage of the exchange alumni group to continue to grow and support each other,” she added.
