No fewer than 1,700 indigent Lagos State residents have been empowered with life skills and resources through the Micro Enterprise Support Initiative (MESI) to transform lives, foster entrepreneurship and enhance their socio-economic wellbeing.
The initiative undertaken by the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation aimed at bridging economic gap and driving growth at the grassroots.
With the intervention, the beneficiaries are expected to maximise their chosen crafts and means of livelihood.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, at the graduation of the beneficiaries held at De Blue Roof in Agidingbi, on Tuesday, presented working tools and start-up capital to the beneficiaries, who undertook the extensive entrepreneurial programmes.
Sanwo-Olu said MESI was one of the critical interventions leveraged by his administration to address poverty at the grassroots and improve the standard of living.
The governor said the initiative had not only demonstrated his government’s commitment to addressing the root causes of poverty, but also a way to directly impact lives and deliver dividends of democracy.
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“This is a deliberate bottom-up action being taken to uplift communities through a family member. The training offered a range of skills that are mostly peculiar to women, because that is the gender that is generally vulnerable. If a household is empowered, it will have a ripple effect on the family and the community. From the community, the impact is felt in the Local Government Area and then across the State. This is how growth is achieved from the grassroots.
“We have invested close to N10 billion in various interventions aimed at supporting vulnerable residents in skill development and economic empowerment. With this modest start-up capital and working tools given freely to you, I hope that you will build a strong income base that can sustain your immediate needs and lift your household out of want,” he said.
Also, Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, the wife of the governor, represented by Oluremi Hamzat, wife of the state deputy governor, described MESI as “a shining example” of the Sanwo-Olu administration’s commitment to creating economic opportunities for women to achieve inclusive growth and development.
Bolaji Dada, Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, said the intervention was to restore the dignity of individual beneficiaries, and to support them to move from dependency to independence.
