WCCIMA Trains Women On Financial Literacy In Ebonyi

By Nwogha Ndubuisi, Abakaliki

Committed towards empowering women on financial literacy to upscale access to opportunities and resources as well as reduce poverty among the folk, Women Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mine and Agriculture,(WCCIMA) has trained Ebonyi women on financial management. The state Women Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mine and Agriculture SALTCCIMA Ebonyi chapter representative, Mrs Nnenna Eze has during the roundtable discussion held in Women Development Center, Abakaliki called on Ebonyi women to rise to financial prudency in their businesses.

She explained that empowering women economically would help reduce domestic violence in most families while reduce pressure on their husbands who support them to living their full potentials. She maintained optimistic that in their next phase of the training would ensure that all the professional women group including traders would fully show results of the training acknowledging that Ebonyi women have alot to give to the business world. "We discovered that most businesses in our state run by women are not growing in the right pace, though, it's a global phenomenon, but in our country Ebonyi state is ranking high despite the fact that we have women who have broken records. "Ebonyi state has produced the only woman in the history that her signature is in our Nigeria naira note, which many of our people do not know and like the scripture says that the people perish because they lacked knowledge, we deemed it necessary to let our women know that Ebonyi state women are blessed and deserve the best in knowing how to manage their finances. "Our grassroot women suffer alot of factors which among not knowing how to separate their businesses from family expenses and that's what we feel that if they are trained and able to know where to draw line between business and family financial expenses would do alot in being financial success especially knowing how to expand their businesses using the Chamber movement."she said.

Speaking while delivering keynote address with the theme: Building Confidence and Independence, the guest speaker and former Director of Currency Operation, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mrs Priscilla Ekwueme Eleje noted that 30 percent of Nigeria adult women are financially excluded with men rating 21 percent. She described the roundtable discussion as best way to bring women together in a formal sector and admonished Ebonyi women to invest more in assets while striving to ensure that their expenditure did not exceed their daily incomes. The former Director of Currency Operation,Mrs Eleje advised women to always save irrespective of the amount of money one is earning while ensuring that they know their account officer as every customers deserve to be acquainted with right information about a bank one is saving its money. She commended her husband for his support towards her career and enjoined them to be the greatest supporter of their wives in business especially at the time of trials. Also, the state Commissioner for Human Capital Development and Monitoring, Mrs Ann Aligwe thanked organizers for the initiative and assured the women that the Nwifuru's led administration would not relent in prioritizing the welfare and well being of women through overall empowerment to support their businesses which in turn, reduce poverty in the country. Corroborating, the commissioner for Aviation, Mrs Ngozi Obichukwu, Member representing Ebonyi North East in the state House of Assembly, Mrs Chinyere Nwogbaga and Director General of Ebonyi state Small and Medium Entreprises Development Agency, Mr Stephen Odo described women as good managers and enjoined participants to utilize the knowledge gained to independently manage their finances and enhance their businesses. However, one of the participants and Secretary of Market Women Organization for Empowerment and Development, Mrs Nnenna Otuonye appreciated the organizers for the quality workshop describing the training as opportunity to educate teeming members as she has learnt to invest her money and not stocking it in the bank, as well as, study history growth of a firm before investing her money.