The Akwa Ibom State Government has announced plans to empower 110,000 women across the 31 Local Government Areas of the state through cooperative societies in October. The initiative is aimed at improving the economic wellbeing of women and increasing their participation in income-generating activities across the state.
The State Governor, Umo Eno, announced the plan on Thursday in Uyo, the state capital, during the launch of the Federal Government’s rural women empowerment initiative and the distribution of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinders to beneficiaries.
Eno said the state government would work through existing cooperative societies to ensure that women in communities across the state benefited from the empowerment programme. He explained that the initiative was designed to provide women with opportunities to improve their livelihoods and contribute more effectively to the economic development of their families and communities.
The governor said the programme would complement the Federal Government’s efforts to support rural women and promote economic inclusion. He added that the distribution of LPG cylinders would also help beneficiaries adopt cleaner cooking methods while reducing their dependence on traditional cooking fuels.
The state government said the empowerment programme would cover women across all 31 Local Government Areas, with the cooperative societies serving as a channel for reaching beneficiaries. The initiative is expected to strengthen women’s economic capacity and support the government’s broader efforts to reduce poverty and improve living standards across Akwa Ibom.
