By Kingsley Agim
African Women’s Entrepreneurship Programme (AWEP) Nigeria, has conferred on the First Lady of Cross River State, Her Excellency, Dr. Linda Ayade the prestigious rank of Matron of the Initiative.
The investiture ceremony which held at the Millennium Park Calabar, 28th February, 2018 also saw AWEP’s inauguration of the Cross River State Chapter Exco.
Receiving the matron-ship certificate on behalf of the First Lady, Dr. (Mrs.) Linda Ayade, the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hon. Stella Oreme Odey, stated that AWEP’s mission is in line with her Excellency’s NGO, the Cross River Women Emancipation Initiative (CROWEI), which seeks to uplift the standard of women, restating her Excellency’s readiness to collaborate with AWEP to ensure that women get improved politically, socially and economically.
Hon. Odey charged women to engage in trade and learn to use their hands, which, according to her, is the reason why the Ministry of Women Affairs has set up a skills acquisition Centre to enable women augment their spouses income for the betterment of the entire family.
The Women Affairs Commissioner hinted that her Ministry has trained more than three hundred (300) women and empowered 80 of them with start-off packs to assist them kick-start their newly acquired skills.
She stated that the success of her Ministry’s skills acquisition and empowerment programme has come solely from the goodwill of the State Governor, Senator (Prof.) Ben Ayade, while promising to spread her programme tentacles to ensure that more women benefit from it.
Earlier in her address, the AWEP Vice President, South-South, Rev. Ruth Praise lauded the untiring efforts of Dr. Linda Ayade in supervising and monitoring all CROWEI activities, which, according to her, will now make AWEP programmes more effective in the State.
Rev. Praise hinted AWEP will also synergize with the dynamic leadership of Senator (Prof.) Ben Ayade, aligning within the State’s coherent growth and development strategies with emphasis in improving the wellbeing of Cross Riverians and are in line with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The AWEP Vice President noted that an empowered Cross River woman will not only support her family financially, but will contribute to the State’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP); which is why AWEP ‘s Renewable Energy Technology Centre that will be established for Cross River State members, would be designed with functional mechanism to train women in generating wealth from waste in small and medium scale, contribute to cogent human capacity building and job creation in emerging economic opportunities of grid renewable energy.
She further revealed that in the coming weeks, AWEP will conduct Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) Expo in all 18 Local Government Areas of the State, with the aim of grouping the MVPs into clusters and introducing the investable ones for grants and loans, building a compendium that will showcase Cross River State products and services in the global market.
Rev. Praise congratulated the newly inaugurated Chapter Executive Committee, who have worked hard and diligently to achieve the success witnessed. She also felicitated with awardees, noting that the awards were conceived by the State Exco as a way of recognizing and showing appreciation to deserving Cross Riverians who have achieved greatly in their diverse endeavours and have supported women in very broad perspective.
The event featured exhibitions from notable brands such as: Tutsies Nature Cosmetics; Jessy Fresh Juice & Smoothies; Pom’s Beauty World; GMJ Interiors; De Grace Shopping Centre and Pemoya Hot Pots Concept.
Other recipients of award included Dr. Frank Ayade; Mrs. Mary Akpo; Arc. Bassey Ndem; Chief Asuquo Ekpenyong; Mrs. Winnifred Akpani; Mrs. Ekwuele Agube; Ma Adiaha Adiaha; Enumex Cosmetics; Queen John King; Mr. Joseph La’Shakara Edet; Ms. Amina Arong and Dr. Maria Onabe.
The inaugurated State Exco had Hon. Agnes A. Atsu as Coordinator; Barr. Rosemary Tutu Ekeng, Deputy Coordinator; Hon. Torita Rosemary Odey, Secretary; Mrs. Mary Iji, Treasurer; Mrs. Eunice Adie, Organizing Secretary. Others were Hon. Rita Agbo Ayim, Publicity Secretary; Barr. Justina A. Aniah, Legal Adviser; Mrs. Alice Eyong, Financial Secretary; Mrs. Ekwele Agube, Welfare Secretary; Princess Philia Henshaw Etim, Auditor and Mrs. Abasioffiong Offiong, Assistant Secretaray.
AWEP is an outreach, education and engagement initiative that targets African women entrepreneurs to promote business growth, increase trade both regionally and to United States markets through the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
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