Group engages 90 women to reviews empowerment project in Bauchi
The Syndicate for Supporting Women and Youth Empowerment Initiative (SISWACHI) has engaged 90 women in Bauchi State to reviewed their businesses with a view to improving marketing strategies, identifying challenges and proffering solutions to enhance economic gains.
Mrs Maryam Mohammed, Executive Director of SISWACHI, on Monday said the meeting was organized and held in Bauchi aimed to assess and conducts follow-up to empowerment training conducted for the women in 2024.
Mohammed explained that the programme, which lasted nine months, involved capacity building, formation of cooperative groups and provision of starter packs to the beneficiaries.
“In 2024, we conducted a nine-month training programme was organized and women into assigned groups and provided starter packs for them.
“Today’s meeting is to get feedback from them and also improve on areas where you may have made mistakes so that we correct to keep our businesses,” she said.
Represented by Amina Dala, a senior staff member of the organisation, Mohammed said the engagement was also aimed at addressing key challenges affecting the marketing and sustainability of the beneficiaries’ businesses.
“We are also here to celebrate International Women’s Day with you all as our contact and to give for future gain new ideas.
“We want to pause and reflect on what we have done from 2024 to date, and discuss our small-scale businesses and where we are today.
“There are challenges, but there are also modern techniques that can help us address them,” she said.
Ms Ruth Rabo, the Finance Officer of the organisation, said that with the consent of the beneficiaries, Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA) would be introduced to strengthen their financial capacity.
“Earlier the empowerment training we conducted was on numeracy and Literacy, book keeping and hands -on practicals for skills,” he added.
She added that the participants would also be trained on branding and digital marketing to enhance their businesses. Rabo, said that the groups comprising five women still was functional and remained a joint business.
Speaking on the sideline of the activity, Mrs Halima Dauda and Mrs Hajara Musa said the businesses were sustained although some groups had to change trades due to market forces.
Also speaking, Mrs Nafisa Yunusa appreciated the organisation for the support, noting that the empowerment had reduced the burden of poverty among women.
Highlights of the engagement was also display of various commodities by participants such as ground oil, flour, shampoo,pomade and detergent to mention but few.
The participants were drawn from Kandahar, Shingin Abba and Majidadi communities in Bauchi State.
