NCWD stands as greatest institution for gender equity in Africa – Says women affairs minister
The minister of women affairs and social development, Mrs. Salamatu Hussaini Suleiman, has described the National Centre for Women Development (NCWD) as one of the greatest institutions for gender equity and women empowerment in Africa .
The minister who stated this during the graduation ceremony of participants of various vocational skills acquisition programme at the centre in Abuja expressed that with the number of women who have acquired vocational skills this is actually contributing to the realisation of the key goals of Mr. President’s Seven Point Agenda.
She also said that the National Centre for Women Development which was established in 1992 with the aim of stimulating national consciousness towards the attainment of higher levels of development and activities for Nigerian women is succeeding in achieving its mandate.
The minister observed that with the training of women in various skills acquisition programmes, the centre would make the nation and the world a better place..
While congratulating over 1,452 trained participants this year at the centre, Mrs. Suleiman equally congratulated the parents and spouses for their persistence, dedication, sacrifices and support which she said have helped their sons and daughters, wives and husbands in no small measure towards achieving success.
She, therefore assured of her ministry’s support in making the centre a huge success and called on governments at all levels, development partners and individuals to support the centre in this engagement of training in order to develop Nigeria ’s human capital.
Earlier in her welcome address, the Drector-General of National Centre for Women Development (NCWD), Hajiya Fatima L. Hassan, stressed that the vocational skills acquisition programme of the centre started in 1994 with the courses of catering, fashion design, hair dressing, interior and out-door decoration, soap/pomade-making and bakery.
According to the director-general, a total number of 4,646 students have been graduated on these courses and also there are various strategies to reposition the programme and expand its scope to be able to cater for more persons.
Hajiya Hassan explained that the centre was partnering with the Abuja Development Bank and other notable government and non-governmental agencies to improve infrastructural performance.
While advising the graduands to put the skills acquired at the centre into profitable use for themselves and the benefit of their families as well as the country, the director-general also announced that a new programme on gender and ICT has been introduced by the centre and therefore called on more agencies to partner with them for continuous and enhanced human capacity development.
In her remarks, the wife of Senate President and mother of the day at the occasion, Chief (Mrs.) Helen Onma Mark commended the centre for its efforts since inception and urged the leadership of the centre to redouble its efforts so that this country can attain the Millennium Development Goals target of gender equality and empowerment of women and youths.
The wife of the Senate President also congratulated the graduating students for their successful conclusion of their training and urged them to deploy their newly acquired skills to the development of this country and service to humanity as well to the glory of God.
Also, in his remark, the visiting professor National Universities Commission Abuja and also the former Vice-Chancellor of university of Benue , Professor David Ver, announced that the NUC has approved the new curriculum in the skills acquisition programmes in various universities.