NAFOWA Skills Acquisition Programme: 110 Beneficiaries empowered in Benin.

The Nigerian Air Force Officers’ Wives Association (NAFOWA) has empowered another set of beneficiaries in its Skills Acquisition and Vocational Training Programme.

The beneficiaries, who were mostly women and youths, received their certificates during the 7th graduation ceremony that took place yesterday, 4 August 2018, at 107 Air Maritime Group, Benin after 10 weeks of intensive training in various vocational programmes.

The 110 beneficiaries were trained in computer studies, tailoring, hairdressing, catering, baking, events planning and interior decoration as well as make-up artistry and bead-making.

Speaking during the graduation ceremony, the Special Guest of Honour, the wife of the Executive Governor of Edo State, Mrs. Betsy Obaseki, commended NAFOWA for the initiative, adding that the programme would impact positively on the beneficiaries.

“I am impressed with what NAFOWA has done here.
“The programme, which is one of the best I have seen, is complementing the Federal and State Governments’ efforts at reducing unemployment in the country”, she said.

Mrs. Obaseki said she was also very pleased that NAFOWA had provided appropriate starter packs for each of the beneficiaries. She therefore urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the starter packs and appealed to NAFOWA to monitor the beneficiaries with a view to ensuring that the objective of the programme was achieved.

In her remarks, the National President of NAFOWA, Hajiya Hafsat Sadique Abubakar, said the Skills Acquisition and Vocational Training Programme was targeted at women, especially widows, and youths, in Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Bases and their host communities.

According to her, the focus of the training programme was on vocational trades and skills acquisition that could easily be converted into small businesses to create steady means of income for the beneficiaries. ”NAFOWA’s effort is also to build capacity amongst youths and women by empowering them with necessary skills to make them self reliant”, she said.

While speaking during the closing ceremony, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, who was represented by the Chief of Policy and Plans, Air Vice Marshal Muhammed Muhammed, commended NAFOWA for the successful completion of the 7th edition of the programme which was flagged off in May 2018 in Benin.

He said the effort had contributed immensely to improving the entrepreneurial skills of the women and youths while also empowering them economically. So far, the NAFOWA has trained over 1,500 participants across the country since May 2016 when the programme was inaugurated at NAF Base Makurdi. Similar Skills Acquisition programmes had been organised in Maiduguri, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kaduna and Bauchi.

Ibikunle Daramola, Air Commodore,
Director of Public Relations and Information
Nigerian Air Force