In furtherance of its commitment to empower women and promote gender equality, Procter and Gamble, leading Consumer Goods Company in Nigeria has collaborated with the United Nations, Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), and the implementing partner, Afrigrants Resources to train 250 women in Kaduna State on financial literacy.
The training lasted for a period of three months and ended with a graduation ceremony held on 13 December 2018 at the Asaa Pyramid Hotel in Kaduna State.
The training comes as part of P&G’s efforts to encourage financial inclusion for women, to strengthen women’s capacity in entrepreneurship and promote a business management culture among the beneficiaries of the training. UN Women Nigeria on its part has been at the forefront of ongoing efforts to enhance women’s economic empowerment in the country.
The beneficiaries of the program were female traders and small-scale business women. The women were trained on how to make informed and effective decisions with their financial resources, how to manage business and personal finance matters in an efficient manner, as well as how to make appropriate decisions about investing, budgeting and tax planning.
The training provided the women with knowledge on various technical aspects necessary for growing a business venture and succeeding in the business environment.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Temitope Iluyemi, Director of Government Relations Africa at P&G said, “This partnership is in line with our commitment to impact lives through sustainable investments and remove barriers to women’s economic empowerment.
We are committed to empowering women to live to their fullest potential. Through this partnership, we aim to economically empower women with the right tools and knowledge needed to grow their businesses and offer opportunities for them to provide solutions to various consumers across the country.”
Mr. Desmond Osemhenjie, representing UN Women Country Representative, Ms. Comfort Lamptey, said: “Women’s economic empowerment and financial inclusion have been recognized as key to achieving the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development.
UN Women has been at the forefront of the efforts to position women to advance their businesses and contribute significantly to the economy in Nigeria. Economic empowerment is about women being confident about themselves, to be able to earn an income and manage their own finances, build their financial security and increase their influence over the household budget”.
As part of the partnership, P&G will support the trainees by providing a platform for them to be injected into the P&G sub-distribution network. P&G will also provide grants for 15 women with the brightest business ideas.
Since it commenced operations in 1992, P&G has been a global advocate of women empowerment and gender parity. Through various impact programs including the Always School Program, the Women Entrepreneurship Development Program, Growing Girls and Women in Nigeria (G-Win), Always UNESCO partnership and campaigns such as Always Forward Ever, #WeSeeEqual #StrongisBeautiful and #MyFutureStartsToday, the company has helped empower and shape societal perception of women.
