An international charity organization, Sightsavers, is partnering with Access Holdings, alongside Unilever, UK Aid, and UNICEF to launch the Sabi-Woman project for females with disabilities in Nigeria.
The project which is designed for adolescent girls aged 13–17 years and young women aged 18–24 years, seeks to increase the economic productivity and labour force participation of young women with disabilities and prepare adolescent girls with disabilities for work after school or outside formal education.
While speaking at the launch, the Technical Advisor on Economic Empowerment, Sightsavers, Rasak Adekoya, said the Sabi Woman project will cater for a total of 2,800 females with disabilities in Lagos and Kano.
He said the project is aimed at advocating and strengthening financial inclusion for persons with disabilities, to ensure that there is a clear financial inclusion guideline from the CBN that helps to guide banks on the need to ensure that financial programmes also benefit persons with disabilities.
“If you look at the national financial inclusion strategy that the government has put together, that is the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), it lacks a large piece of issues around financial inclusion for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).
“What we will do through this project is to advocate and strengthen that financial inclusion strategy to ensure that there is pathway and clear financial inclusion guideline from the CBN.
“This will help to guide the banks on the need to ensure their products and services can benefit persons with disability, particularly women with disability,’’ he said.
The Executive Secretary, National Commission for Persons with Disabilities, James David Lalu, who declared the event open, commended Access Holdings for constantly allowing access an enabling environment to persons with disabilities.
In her remarks, Sightsavers Country Director, Dr. Joy Shuaibu, said that the project would help to provide job opportunities, not only for PWDs who would be running the businesses.
She said as a result of the business outfit, the PWDs would have the potential of being employers of labour.
‘’So, collectively, we will improve in our economy as a country, and of course, that will also lead to an increase in the funds that are available to us as a country.
‘’This is how we feel that the PWDs will also contribute their quota to national and economic development, ‘’ Shuaibu said.
According to the Chief Brand and Communications Officer for Access Corporation, Mr Amaechi Okobi, the initiative marks a significant stride forward in the bank’s unified mission to advance diversity, inclusion, and equitable opportunity for all.
“Our resolve remains unshakable as we strive to cultivate an environment that welcomes and actively promotes their full participation and engagement.
“Today marks the beginning of something phenomenal; we are embarking on a journey that will further transform lives, uplift communities, and pave the way for a brighter future.
“Let us take this moment to celebrate the boundless potential of every young woman and girl, and let our actions speak volumes as we empower them to reach for the stars,” Okobi said.