Working for a better future – Nigeria
Afren-sponsored micro-enterprise schemes in Effiat, Nigeria are helping several hundred women work their way out of poverty.
We have been working for some time with the people of Effiat, the host community for our Ebok project. Here we have been engaged in identifying local needs, particularly in the areas of health, education and employment. One of the most vulnerable groups is women with poor education, unstable and low status employment or unemployment, low and infrequent income, poor housing conditions and large families. These factors can all perpetuate poor health, inadequate diet, early entry into motherhood, and so the cycle continues.
Micro-enterprise programmes help tackle these challenges head-on by helping women increase their earning potential – and therefore improve their quality of life in a sustainable way. In fact, micro-enterprise programmes are seen by many as the catalyst for sustainable development.
Through small loans, the programmes offer funding for people with enterprising projects – which helps them get their ideas off the ground and ultimately care for themselves and their families. But the most effective programmes go further than this – offering support through business development services including saving facilities, training, business advice, market linkage, networking and peer support.
One such initiative is Afren’s women’s economic empowerment programme in Effiat, Akwa Ibom – which is part of the Ebok project. So far, this programme – which has been well received by the local community – has trained over 400 women in basic financial literacy and 200 women have been given loans that range from 30,000 Naira to 105,000 Naira (US$200 to US$700). Each woman supports on average five to ten family members, which means that this programme could potentially impact the lives of between 1,000 and 2,000 individuals.
Those supported include food market traders, fish and crayfish smokers and daily provisions sellers. Loans are offered at 0% interest over a 12-month period.
Developing a strong base of local micro- entrepreneurs can have a huge effect on the growth and development of a local economy. The success of the programme in Effiat has led us to evaluate the potential of widening this initiative within Nigeria – and across the other countries in which we operate.
