Network of Disabled Women (NDW) and Sightsavers, a foreign agency, have empowered three women with disabilities with cash for winning a competition to support their businesses and expand entrepreneurial skills.
The duo gave out the cash gifts at the end of a competition on innovative challenge/competition, tagged “Dragons Den Pitch Competition” on Tuesday in Abuja.
Speaking after the final competition and presentation of cheques to the winners, the founder of the network, Mrs Lois Auta, said that the presentation was to commemorate the 2022 International Women’s Day.
Auta said the whole idea behind the competition was to see how women and girls with disabilities were innovative and creative in their business world.
“We have women with disabilities who are entrepreneurs, who are working in different sectors, they don’t have training opportunities, mentorship and even resources.
“This programme is about sensitising the public, creating awareness that we have women with disabilities who are creative and innovative.
“Today, you have seen physically challenged woman who is a shoemaker, you have seen the one making bags, you have seen the one who is a poet, rapper and singer.
“Fifty-nine of them applied for this competition but we only sent out invitation to compete in the final to the top five,” Auta said.
The competition began in February with 59 disabled women out of which three emerge winners of the grand prizes of N200,000, N150,000 and N100,000 respectively.
The 59 disabled women were drawn from different states of the Federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, and they were made to undergo training to ascertain their creative ingenuity.
Out of the 59, 15 were selected to proceed to the next stage and out of this, five were shortlisted to compete in the final stage but only three of them won the approved prizes.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ms Iyacho Elemor, a musical artist, won the grand prize of N200,000, Ms Yusuf Zainab, a bag producer, emerged the first runner-up, while Mrs Raji Roseline, a shoemaker, emerged second runner-up.
Ms Comfort Lamptey, UN Women Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, pledged to continue to support women, especially those with disabilities.
Represented by Ms Uzoamaka Asiegbu, Programme and Inclusion Analyst, Lamptey said that over the years, UN Women Nigeria had made significant investment to ensure equal opportunities for women and girls with disabilities in all UN programmes.
According to her, one in five women worldwide is a woman with disability, and intersecting barriers of gender, lack of reasonable accommodations, harmful cultural practices, prevent her from achieving her economic potentials.
She commended the organisers for recognising the vulnerability of women and girls and for taking the initiative to enhance business ideas among the disabled with entrepreneurial skills
The Country Director, Sightsavers, Mr Sunday Isiyaku, said that his agency is proud to be associated with the competition initiative.
Represented by Ms Esther Bature, Country’s Advocacy Coordinator, Isiyaku encouraged women to always work hard to be seen and heard wherever they found themselves.
NAN reports that Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) also graced the event, and promised to continue to support women to grow their businesses. (NAN)