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Someone Like You (SLY) Impact Foundation in collaboration with ELPIS Community Development Initiative, Fund Fashion and others have empowered women through a three-day skills acquisition programme. The programme called ‘The Leverage Conference (TLC) 2.0’ was in commemoration of Nigeria’s 65th independence celebration.
Themed, ‘Entrepreneurship through skills development: Pathways to Economic Independence’ featured a session of certification for beneficiaries recently in Lagos with over 100 beneficiaries being empowered in indigenous textile making, hand dye, Adire, home essentials and air fresheners.
According to the keynote speaker, former chairman, Onigbongbo Local Council Development Authority (LCDA) and founder, ELPIS, Rekiyah Hassan, “ELPIS initiative has been empowering women for a long period of time. We partnered with SLY initiative in 2023 and have been empowering women with vocational skills in the production of Adire,” she disclosed.
Rekiyah noted that supporting women to upskill, helping them to become self-sufficient and self-reliant is pivotal as a true leader who has the best interest of the people at heart, while answering to the needs of the people in the society. She testified that the participants from Onigbongbo have started making the products already and trading with them.
To follow-up on their progress, participants were clustered in groups for assistance in registering them as a body with a trade name and will be given a platform to come into the market and trade.
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The Convener of the programme and founder of SLY, Adebukola Adeogun, evaluated skill empowerment as the new oil being considered in the country. She emphasised the government’s keenness to empower women beyond being independent.
She stressed that women deserve better and must be recognised and accepted politically beyond the obtainable positions for women in the country.
The facilitator at the programme, Mrs. Adenike Osakwe also enumerated that entrepreneurship is a tool to financial independence and a bedrock to self reliance, while teaching participants to be self-sufficient.
However, the founding partner, Abubakar Sanusi, stressed that supporting the programme was inspired by the company’s mission to invest, not just in fashion businesses, but in the entire creative ecosystem.
“Initiatives like this bridge sustainability with opportunity by equipping youths, women and single parents with tangible skills. For us, empowerment is investment because when local communities thrive creatively, they strengthen the entire fashion and creative economy,” he added.
