By Fatima Mohammed-Lawal
The TA Community, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), says it has trained 246 market women across selected markets within the Ilorin metropolis under the project, Tech for Market Women (T4MW) Initiative.
The Director for T4MW, Mr Tunmise Johnson, disclosed this in Ilorin while speaking with newsmen on the sidelines of meetings with market women across the metropolis.
Johnson said the women were taught financial literacy and use of technology for recordkeeping.
He explained that the initiative contacted more than 300 market women, trained 246, while about 100 of these women are now using a mobile app called She-balance.
According to him, the training focused on practical financial literacy, basic internet usage, and the application of simple digital tools to support daily trading activities and business growth.
“Currently, we have 18 mentors who learnt the required knowledge that upgraded them to graders who could cascade what was learnt from the training to other market women.
“They go to markets and train other market women on recordkeeping or financial management recordkeeping, savings and loan management,” he said.
Johnson said that the market women were also mentored on how to calculate what they needed to contribute daily to achieve their targets.
“We have consistent market women recording on the She-balance everyday of the week, where they record their incomes and expenses,” he said.
Johnson disclosed that this was a pilot study, and the project was expected to extend to other parts of the state, as well as other parts of the country.
Also speaking, Mr Jessie Mathias-Bala, a Project Officer supporting the initiative, said that the programme was done in partnership with MasterCard Foundation and Digital Opportunity Trust.
Mathias-Bala said that the programme was to create an enabling environment for market women to track their business and create a semblance of order.
According to him, this will help grow the business in real time, and they can seek for funding support and grant.
Mathias-Bala emphasised the importance of the project, stressing that it was also in partnership with government, private and financial services sectors who could provide loans at three per cent.
The Kwara Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Afolashade Opeyemi commended T4MW for the programme.
“Women are central to the economic fabric of the state, where they contribute to agriculture and Small and Medium Enterprises,” she said.
She emphasised the need to invest on women, adding that it was catalyst for creating job, poverty reduction and community development.
In her reaction, the Iyaloja-General of Kwara, Hajia Muyibat AbdulRaheem, commended the organisers for the initiative.
She advised the market women to make judicious use of the training, saying that ”it will boost their businesses.”
Speaking earlier, Mrs Gloria Onolemhemhen, Chief Executive Officer, Innovation Champion, who addressed participants virtually, noted that the programme was designed to tackle economic challenges and share key strategies for strengthening financial inclusion.
She also called for greater collaboration among government, relevant agencies, and other stakeholders.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that T4MW initiative is a targeted programme designed to empower women in the informal trading sector with digital tools, financial literacy and vocational skills to boost their business resilience.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Edith Bolokor/Christiana Fadare
