Centre tasks women entrepreneurs on international standard

Centre tasks women entrepreneurs on international standard
NAN-HG-5
Women
By Olasunkanmi Onifade
Abuja, March 6, 2018 (NAN) The Director-General, National Centre for Women Development, Mrs Mary Ekpere-Eta, has advised women entrepreneurs to ensure that their products meet international standard for easy patronage.
Ekpere-Ita gave the task on Tuesday at the opening of arts and crafts exhibition in commemoration of the 2018 International Women’s Day in Abuja.
The theme of this year’s event is “Time is now: Rural and Urban activists transforming women’s lives’’.
She said the centre would ensure that women’s locally produced items are properly registered with the regulatory bodies.
“Women should be more focused and ensure that locally produced goods can compete favourably internationally.
“From the products on display, there is no doubt that women and their organisations represent an enormous potential and they are on the move to claim their rights, improve their livelihood and wellbeing.
“We have also observed the innovative agricultural methods which they are using to set up successful businesses and acquiring new skills,” Ekpere-Ita said.
She said the 2018 theme provides an opportunity to showcase the activities of Nigerian women.
Ekpere-Ita said the exhibition was one of the activities to commemorate the women’s day celebration in collaboration with wife of the President, National Council for Women Societies (NCWS) with support from UN women activities in all setting, rural and urban.
The exhibition featured arts and crafts, local foods and drinks, agricultural products from rural communities in the country to reflect the priority of the upcoming 62nd session of the UN Commission on the status of women.
The Minister of Agriculture, Mr Audu Ogbe, represented by the Director of Extension, Mrs Karina Babangida, said that Nigerian women farmers had contributed to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.
She said Nigerian women had engaged in one form of farming or the other, as 70 per cent of women engage in agriculture.
The UN Women Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms Comfort Lamprey, also called on women to speak with one voice in rural and urban communities in breaking their low representation in leadership.
She called on women to be part of the overall development of the country, saying “united we stand and divided we fall’’.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the International Women’s Day is commemorated on March 8 every year. (NAN)
OEO/OIF/MST
Edited by Ifeyinwa Okonkwo/Muhammad Suleiman Tola