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General News of Tuesday, 13 April 2021

Source: www.today.ng

NCWD: 99 million Nigerian women to benefit from oil, gas in three years

Director-General of the centre, Mrs. Mary Ekpere-Eta Director-General of the centre, Mrs. Mary Ekpere-Eta

The National Centre for Women Development (NCWD) has announced its commitment towards empowering 99 million Nigerian women in the oil and gas sectors within the next three years.

Director-General of the centre, Mrs. Mary Ekpere-Eta who said this in Abuja during the official launch of the Nigerian women for Liquefied Petroleum Gas project, said this was in a bid to improve women’s livelihoods, survival, clean environment, as well as pulling millions of households out of poverty.

She said the scheme, which will be piloted in 11 states namely, Katsina, Sokoto, FCT, Plateau, Adamawa, Borno, Bayelsa, Cross River, Ebonyi, Imo and Ogun states, will be used as a platform to mobilise and educate women on accessibility, acceptability, affordability and availability.

She added that evidence had shown that great of LPG safety, stress to refill and sometimes high cost of connection beyond communities’ affordability are some of the factors that prevent the adoption, penetration and sustained use of LPG by women in Nigerian households.

According to her: “The partnership will be of benefit to Nigerian women and youths, as it will support the effort of the federal government in achieving its 2023 sustainable energy targets.

“The project is targeted at teaching at least 99 million women and Nigerian households within three years, cutting across 120 political units, and 8000 political wards in the 774 local government areas in the federation.

“The scheme is a platform to mobilise and educate women on how to use LPG and how it can improve livelihoods. A massive door to door campaign and distribution and how to use LPG cans will be managed by women groups in the women development centres.

“The first phase of this programme will be targeting the following 11 states: Katsina, Sokoto, FCT, Plateau, Adamawa, Borno, Bayelsa, Cross River, Ebonyi, Imo and Ogun states.”