The First Lady of Edo State, Betsy Obaseki has called on women entrepreneurs to help strengthen other women economically so that women in Nigeria will have a formidable voice and representation in the country.
Mrs Betsy Obaseki made the call at the Government House, Benin City, Edo State when she hosted the Annual General Meeting of the Nigeria Association of Women Entrepreneurs an organization run by women Entrepreneurs with diversity of skills who volunteer their time and resources to offer empowerment, business and management training program for women.
Addressing the delegates from the thirty six states of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory, the Edo First Lady noted that women are under represented in the various sectors of the country adding however that the current status will not change significantly unless women initiate the change.
“Even as business women you need representation in every relevant place in life. We need our voices to be represented in government, politics everywhere. So the way out is for us to strengthen ourselves economically as entrepreneurs and business women.”
The five day event saw these women tutored on entrepreneurship through the Edo First Lady’s entrepreneurship initiative for SMEs known as the HP Life initiative. The women also exhibited their products and were hosted to a dinner by Her Excellency the First Lady of Edo State, Betsy Obaseki where she promised to help strengthen the association and collaborate with them to improve the fortunes of women in Edo State.
At the dinner the First Lady of Edo State pulled together top female entrepreneurs in the state, women in the forefront of government development initiatives and other women to find common areas of collaboration with the association members.
She however urged women in the State to seize the opportunities that come to them. “Edo is the ‘Heart Beat of the Nation’ and what that means is that this is where the Lifeline of Nigeria resides. And we all should realize this and wake up and begin to lay hold on all the opportunities that God presents and make the best of them so that as a State we will actualize our full potential as the true Heart Beat of the Nation.”
Earlier the National President of NAWE Mrs Ada Ozongwu commended the Edo State First Lady for her zeal and committment to women empowerment.
The Association presented the Edo State First Lady an award of Excellence in Women Empowerment.
The ladies had the opportunity to unwind as the First Lady marked the birthday of Association’s National President with a cake baked by Betsy Angels, of the Betsy Angels Shelter an initiative of the Edo State First Lady for the rehabilitation and empowerment of returnees.
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