Women Empowerment: Ondo First Lady Seeks African Development Bank's Collaboration

By Temitope Musowo

In her deep sense of commitment to women affairs and development, Wife of Ondo State Governor has called for African Development Bank's (AfDB) collaboration in the area of women empowerment and social development in the State.

Mrs Akeredolu made this call during a technical session with the visiting AfDB group management team led by its Senior Director Mr Ebirima Faal at the Ondo State Executive Council Chamber, Akure.

Mrs Akeredolu welcomed AfDB group to Ondo State and wished them a happy stay during the period of their stay in Ondo State.

The Sunshine State First Lady recounted some of the Landmark Achievements of the office of the Wife of the Governor within one year in office to include;
ICT training for 105 girls from across Ondo State, where all the participants went home with a tablet.
Solar Renewable Energy training for over 200 Ondo State girls and beyond,
Skill Acquisition training for over 1000 women in 5 LGA's in her FOWOSO women empowerment program, where a hundred women and girls smiled home with a laptop.

Others include:
Accelerated birth registration
Massive Breast Cancer Awareness in Nigeria etc.

Mrs Akeredolu stressed that all these achievements were accomplished in the midst of huge debt inherited by their Administration on assumption of office and called for AfDB's collaboration towards giving Ondo women and children the much desired dividends of democracy in the area of qualitative Health Care delivery, Maternal and child mortality reduction, Poverty alleviation, Gender parity etc.

Contributing the Senior Director of the AfDB Nigeria Country Office, Mr Ebirima Faal commended Mrs Akeredolu for what he described as a "passionate work" she is doing in Ondo State, stressing that it is in line with what the bank is committed to.

Mr Faal further pledge the support of AfDB to the programs of the office of the Wife of the Governor.

In her remarks, one of the management team members of AfDB Linda Amadi, commended the First Lady in her community oriented programs and projects which she said grantees sustainability and acknowledged that it is also part of the banks interest and what the are concerned with.

She further revealed that the bank has a job for youths in Africa initiative which is hoped to generate 25million jobs for African youths in the next 10years.

She assured Mrs Akeredolu of women inclusion and that the bank is keen in incorporating gender in all its activities and programs.