Mrs. Betsy Obaseki

Jethro Ibileke/Benin

Wife of Edo State Governor, Mrs. Betsy Obaseki, has called on women entrepreneurs to help strengthen other women economically, so that women in Nigeria will have a formidable voice and representation in the country.

Mrs. Obaseki made the call on Monday in Benin, while addressing delegates from the 36 states of Nigeria and the FCT, to the Annual General Meeting of the Nigeria Association of Women Entrepreneurs (NAWE).

NAWE is an organization run by women entrepreneurs with diversity of skills who volunteer their time and resources to offer empowerment, business and management training program for other women.

According to the Edo First Lady, “Women are under represented in the various sectors of the country. The current status will not change significantly unless women initiate the change.

“Even as business women, you need representation in every relevant place in life. We need our voices to be represented in government, politics, everywhere. So, the way out is for us to strengthen ourselves economically as entrepreneurs and business women.”

Participants at the five-day event saw the women tutored on entrepreneurship through the Edo First Lady’s entrepreneurship initiative for SMEs known as the HP Life initiative.

Mrs. Obaseki assured the participants to help strengthen the association and collaborate with them to improve the fortunes of women in Edo State.

She however urged women in the State to seize every opportunity that comes to them to improve their lot in life.

“Edo is the Heart Beat of the Nation and what that means is that this is where the lifeline of Nigeria resides. We all should realize this and wake up and begin to lay hold on all the opportunities that God presents and make the best of them so that as a State, we will actualize our full potential as the true Heart Beat of the Nation.”