The Customs Officers’ Wives Association (COWA), Niger/Kogi Area Command, has officially unveiled and flagged off its Intensive Skill Acquisition, Entrepreneurship Education and Development Programme at the Command premises in Minna, Niger State, in a significant move towards promoting women’s empowerment and economic independence.
The ceremony was attended by the Acting Customs Area Controller Niger/Kogi Area Command, Deputy Comptroller Solomon Nwankwegu MIS MNIM psc(+), the COWA Chairperson, Dr Emilia Onyekachi Nwankwegu MD MPH PhD, the former COWA Chairperson, Hajia Fatima Abdulkadir Umar, senior officers of the Command, COWA members, representatives of the empowerment partners, facilitators, invited guests and other stakeholders.
The initiative is being delivered in partnership with Abridged Memorial Care Foundation, the Sole Empowerment Partner, alongside Emil Spa and Beauty Haven as the technical implementation partner. The collaboration is designed to provide beneficiaries with practical vocational skills and entrepreneurship education to enhance their capacity for self-reliance and sustainable economic activities.
The training programme covers four major vocational areas: tailoring, fashion designing, beauty therapy and cosmetology. Beyond technical skills acquisition, the programme also emphasises entrepreneurship education, financial literacy, business management, customer relations and marketing strategies to prepare beneficiaries for viable business ventures.
In her address, the COWA Chairperson, Dr Emilia Onyekachi Nwankwegu, highlighted the importance of the initiative in advancing women’s empowerment and supporting the continued empowerment agenda of the COWA National President, Mrs Kikelomo Adeniyi. She reaffirmed COWA’s commitment to creating opportunities for women to develop practical skills, achieve financial independence and contribute meaningfully to economic development.
Speaking on behalf of Abridged Memorial Care Foundation, its representative, Dr Emilia Nwankwegu, described the programme as an investment in human capital development, stressing that genuine empowerment goes beyond temporary interventions to building capacity, unlocking potential and creating sustainable livelihoods. The Foundation also reaffirmed its commitment to working with COWA and its implementation partner to ensure meaningful outcomes for beneficiaries.
The Niger/Kogi Area Command commends the leadership of COWA, Abridged Memorial Care Foundation and Emil Spa and Beauty Haven for their collaboration in bringing this laudable initiative to fruition. The Command also encourages beneficiaries to embrace the opportunity with dedication and commitment, noting that skills acquisition remains an important pathway to entrepreneurship, self-reliance and sustainable community development.
