…Restates Commitment To Women, Girl Child Empowerment
Lagos State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs. Bolaji Dada on Thursday flagged off the Year
2019 WAPA Connect Conference for Professionals, Political groups, Faith-based Religious groups and other categories of
women in the State.
The Conference, tagged “Women Empowerment and its Link to Sustainable Development” and organised by the State
Government, through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, aims at advancing women’s rights, fostering domestic harmony and tackling the menace of Gender-Based Violence
(GBV) among other burning issues affecting women.
Speaking at the conference held at the Academy Inn andMultipurpose Hall, Agindigbi Ikeja, the Commissioner said the
theme for this year’s conference is a fall out of the meeting at the 63rd Commission on Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nation held in New York early in the year.
Dada further said the conference also seeks to close the gender gap between women and their male counterparts, promoting women’s economic empowerment in a small rural environment
and pursuing financial independence of women and their cultural beliefs, amongst others.
She noted that the theme for the conference is apt considering the crucial role women play in the economic development of most nations, hence the State government’s commitment to providing women with means of learning various skills in order to earn a healthy income and build positive self-esteem for themselves.
She said, “I am glad to inform you that the Year 2019 WAPA CONNECT Conference is a unique one. Reason being that the Ministry took pains to seek out facilitators and seasoned professionals who are experts in their field and very passionate about the cause of women in the society”.
“Participants stand to gain a whole lot from the wealth of experience of these distinguished professionals. It is common
knowledge that when you train, teach or empower women, you have indirectly impacted the whole nation”, she added.
Dada disclosed that this realisation prompted the Lagos State Government to train women in various short and long term skill acquisition programmes such as carpentry works, customized throw pillows, stoning fabrics, tie & dye, leather works/
shoemaking, fashion design/tailoring and barbing/cosmetology among others.
The Commissioner, however, called on women and young persons who are unemployed to visit any of the State
Government’s Skill Acquisition Centers in the five divisions of Lagos and avail themselves the opportunity since the training programmes are tuition-free.
