Mrs Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, Minister of Women Affairs, says efforts are on to distribute 37,000 Point of Sale (POS) machines to facilitate financial transactions and boost women’s economic status.
Kennedy-Ohanenye, who stated this while briefing newsmen on Monday in Abuja, also said N200 health insurance monthly, totaling N2,400 yearly, would also be provided for women.
She said that the initiative was in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda with support from a microfinance bank, PLUG.
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“We are going to traditional and community leaders, legislators, governors, states ministries for women affairs and market leaders to distribute these things.
“In that way, the right people that can manage the business, even in the villages,,will be included in what we are doing.
“Also, any woman that gets this POS is entitled to almost free health insurance, where you pay just N200 per month, making it N2,400 yearly for health insurance guaranteed by the same microfinance bank, PLUG,’’ she said.
The minister added that 300 laptops would also be distributed to women in states and People with Disabilities (PWDs) as job creation initiatives and to boost women entrepreneurship.
“We are going ahead to give eight laptops per state, totaling 300, including four to persons with disabilities.
“The beneficiaries will be trained in IT and given online jobs that will pay in hard currency,” she said.
On the Pink Riders Initiative, the minister explained that the project would take off in army barracks to ensure the safety of the women before it would be explored in other parts of the country.
“They are supposed to be women operating the tricycles to feed their homes, take care of themselves and save money to purchase another, and also return small money to the ministry as it is not free, but subsidised.
“When they save up to N500,000 to N600,000, the ministry will support them to get a second one and enable them pay off their debt quicker.
“We are starting them in army barracks for them to have security,” she said.
She added that the ministry, in collaboration with the army,,have partnered on agriculture programmes, to provide security in farmlands that would ensure massive food production at subsidised rates.
The minister, while reiterating government’s commitment towards protecting the rights of women and children, added that the establishment of mobile courts had been enforced for speedy prosecution of offenders and justice for survivors.
