NEWS
First Lady, Mrs. Priscilla Otti, NDE Seal Partnership to Empower 200 Abia Women Across 17 LGAs
Abia State First Lady, Her Excellency Mrs. Priscilla Chidinma Otti, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), marking a strategic partnership aimed at expanding economic opportunities for women across Abia State.
The agreement, signed at the First Lady’s office at Government House, Umuahia, brings together the NDE and the Safe Tent Care Initiative (STCI), her non-governmental organisation, for the implementation of the second cohort of the Skill-Up Abia Women Programme.
Under the new partnership, 200 women drawn from all 17 Local Government Areas of Abia State are expected to commence a three-month intensive skills acquisition programme in the coming weeks.
The initiative is designed to equip the beneficiaries with practical skills that can enable them to establish sustainable livelihoods, generate income and become more economically self-reliant.
The programme reflects the Safe Tent Care Initiative’s continued emphasis on practical empowerment for women, with the latest cohort expected to extend the reach of its intervention across communities throughout the state.
The partnership with the NDE is also expected to strengthen the programme through the agency’s institutional expertise and experience in employment generation, vocational training and economic empowerment.
The First Lady expressed optimism that the 200 beneficiaries would become individual stories of transformation, with the impact extending beyond the women themselves to their families, communities and future generations.
She also acknowledged the NDE for supporting the vision behind the programme and committing its institutional capacity to the initiative.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Dr. Mrs. Maureen Ijeoma Aghukwa; the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Women Affairs, Mrs. Chinenye Nwaka; the Special Assistant to the Governor on Disability Matters, Mr. David Anyaele, among other officials and stakeholders.
With the second cohort set to commence training, the Skill-Up Abia Women Programme is poised to bring another wave of practical skills development and livelihood opportunities to women across the 17 L
GAs of the state.