The Wife of the Anambra State Governor, Dr Nonye Soludo, on Friday, inaugurated the Anambra Skilled Ladies Training Programme aimed at empowering 100 young women with practical and high-demand vocational skills.
Soludo preformed the exercise in Awka through her pet project, called the Healthy Living Initiative (HLI).
She said the training would help to equip participants with practical skills in areas, such as solar and CCTV installation, air-conditioner repair and maintenance, carpentry, tricycle (keke) mechanics and painting.
According to her, the programme is designed to provide women with entrepreneurial opportunities that will enable them to become self-reliant and economically productive.
She described the initiative as a practical intervention to celebrate women, particularly during the month globally dedicated to recognising the resilience and contributions of women.
“The Anambra Skilled Ladies Programme is a well-designed entrepreneurial package that offers young women the opportunity to learn and prosper through high-demand and lucrative skills.
“You are here today not by chance. The screening process was strict and rigorous, and you were selected because you demonstrated passion and willingness to make a difference,” she said.
She urged the participants to remain committed and take full advantage of the opportunity.
“Our aim is to train, mentor and support a new generation of skilled workers, who will close existing gender gaps and bring unique talents into fields where women are underrepresented,” Soludo said.
She also encouraged the trainees to remain resilient, dedicated and respectful to their trainers and fellow participants throughout the training period.
“In these skill areas, largely dominated by men, we want you to bring excellence and uniqueness.
“We want you to become a source of hope for your families, communities and the state,” she said.
She commended the trainers for partnering her office to ensure the success of the programme and urged them to mentor the trainees with patience, professionalism and dedication.
Earlier, the Coordinator of the HLI, Dr Afam Obidike, said that 100 participants were carefully selected from 10,800 applications received for the programme.
Obidike said that the skill areas were largely male-dominated, adding that the governor’s wife was sponsoring the training through her NGO to empower women to become self-reliant and employers of labour.
He also said that the programme would run for two months with daily training sessions and urged the participants to take the opportunity seriously.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the trainers included Mrs Amara Abraham, a painter; Mrs Lucy Onoo, a furniture maker; and Mrs Anthonia Okafor, a solar installation technician.
Speaking on behalf of the trainers, Onoo said that “today’s Nigeria placed greater value on practical skills than certificates alone.
“It is no longer just about certificates but about ‘Sabificate’ – what you can actually do with your hands and talent.
“Learning a skill is very fulfilling and something to be proud of,” she said.
One of the trainees, Miss Chidera Ezeadilue from Awka South LGA, expressed joy that she was selected for the training.
She said that she could not have afforded N250,000 required to learn the skill elsewhere.
“I promise not to disappoint because it is a huge opportunity for me to make a difference,” Ezeadilue said.
