13th April, 2017
Masari Zallah Foundation (MZF), an NGO on Thursday appealed to the government to support innovations that would empower women and youths in the country.
Mr Ibrahim Bala, the Project Manager of the foundation made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
According to Bala, the foundation has overtime empowered over 2,500 women and 10,000 youths to be self reliant, adding that women and youths have the largest number of unemployed group in the country.
“We want the government and relevant organisations to render more support to innovations and organisations empowering women and youths.
“The support will enable them gain more capacity in their respective projects.
“These women and youths, when they are empowered with knowledge and skills, they can also transfer the idea they acquired to other people and it will help the development of the country,’’ he said.
According to him, most times when there is hardship, economic challenges and unemployment, the women and youths are more vulnerable.
Bala noted that ideas and exchange of knowledge, especially through innovation made the difference in development of countries.
The programme manager, however, said that women had been part of innovations in the country, but more of them were needed at the front burner to challenge other women.
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“Women in Nigeria are actually doing well in the area of innovation, but they can do better.
“There is always room to improve in any project one sets himself into; the women should be all out in making innovations.
“Creating ideas and innovations requires risk and women should be prepared to take risk,’’ she said.
MZF is a group teaching women and youths empowerment in the areas of shoe, handbag, air fresher, local scent making, among other items.
Bala said that the foundation was not into profit making but was selling its products to empower individuals to get little funds to source for raw materials to enhance subsequent productions.