Women Groups from Migori County are set to benefit from the Women’s Empowerment Program through the State Departments for Cooperatives.
The program whose aim is to include women in the bottoms – up economic transformation model on September, 22, 2023 held a training exercise for a section of women groups in Awendo, Migori.
The training was presided over by the Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communication and Digital Economy, Eliud Owalo and attended by over 500 women drawn from all 40 wards in Migori County.
Speaking during the event at Sony Sugar Company grounds in Migori County, Owalo noted that empowering women is the first step towards reviving Kenya’s economy.
“Women have been for a long time been ignored in any economic model yet they play an important role in Kenya’s economy. An empowerment to any woman is a long term empowerment,” he said.
He added that the empowerment program is facilitated by the national technical officers of funding opportunities available within President Ruto’s economic revival plan.
Owalo underscored that the program which is in its second week in Nyanza will associate closely with state departments for Cooperatives, Blue economy and Fisheries, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
Through the office of Gender Advisor in the office of the President, the state departments will be key in championing and lobbying the groups for economic empowerment through creating awareness about the existing opportunities.
The CS noted that women from Nyanza region are better placed to benefit from the State Department of Blue Economy and Fisheries by virtue of their proximity to the lake.
He noted that the government has already set blue prints that the women will be required to utilize and make flesh out of the already existing opportunities,
He referred to the national government’s plan to make Kabonyo training center that will be teaching local fishermen and women fish traders on handling fish to its final selling destination.
This will be accompanied with fish landing beaches to ensure that there is a cool storage facility for fish so that women in fish industry do not incur losses because of fish going bad.
His sentiments were echoed by nominated Senator Esther Okenyuri who said that making women economically viable will go a long way in reducing family disagreements due to over dependence by women.
Owalo encouraged the women to form SACCOs and women groups from which they will be able to get funds from entities such as Hustler Funds, and loaning companies to increase their economic viability.
Lucy Obungu from the State Department of Blue Economy and Fisheries encouraged them women groups to utilize water resources sustainably to help them realize economic development.
“Blue economic sustainability starts from a sustainable use of water resources to ensure that we always have enough production to sustain ourselves,” she added.
Owalo who was accompanied by directors of the various State Departments and leaders aligned to the government drummed for the President’s one-year scorecard, urging the public to support the efforts.
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