Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa has come out to say that more women have to be empowered to bridge the widening inequality gap in Nigeria and Africa.

He recently revealed this while inaugurating the Women Empowerment and Skills Acquisition Programme (WESAP) in Asaba.

According to him, in several African traditional societies, women are always abused, marginalized and discriminated against, especially in the economic sector, despite their massive population.

He added that empowering women, especially poor rural women, is currently key to economic development in Nigeria.

His words, “Since we came on board in May, 2015, we have undertaken several measures, especially through the Ministry of Women Affairs and the Microfinance Scheme, to lift our women out of poverty and enhance their participation in the economy.

“We are taking it a step further today by unveiling the Women Empowerment and Skills Acquisition Programme (WESAP), patterned after our other entrepreneurship development programmes, namely, STEP, YAGEP, GEST, and RYSA.

“As some of us here may be aware, women empowerment has for a long time been more than a national concern; it is a recurring global issue and one that needs to be tackled with concerted action to bridge the widening inequality gap in Nigeria and the African continent.”

“In most African traditional societies, experience shows that in spite of comprising the majority of the population, women are routinely abused, marginalized, and discriminated against, particularly in the economic sector.”