Illiteracy of proper financial management had been among the major factors confronting many individuals and family households in all areas of human endeavour, including the women in Ebonyi State and beyond.
On this development, the Women Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture in Ebonyi State, WCCIMA, organised a roundtable on financial literacy to build confidence and independence in the financial sector.
Addressing the audience at the Seminar, which focused on “Financial Literacy: Building Confidence and Independence”,
the former Director of Currency Operations, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mrs. Priscilla Ekwueme Eleje, noted that the topic of discussion at the Seminar was apt considering the current horrific economic crisis in the country, including Ebonyi State.
Mrs. Eleje, delivering a lecture on financial literacy, urged individuals to adopt savings of their income in the bank to create possible means of future success economically and always visit their customized banks to ask questions for further clarifications on the modes of account and investment opportunities.
Mr Eleje, who regretted that many people had lavished economic success opportunities from the government and private sector due to financial management illiteracy, encouraged her audience to acquire valid assets that could have richer economic value in future.
Mrs Eleje, who was the first woman in Nigeria to endorse her signature in the country’s Naira currency, called for more opportunities for financial literacy training for people by relevant agencies to further provide chances for economic upliftment especially for the poor ones and those in the grassroots including women and the beneficiaries of various streams of State Government empowerment schemes.
The Ebonyi State Commissioner for Aviation, Dr. Ngozi Obichukwu, the State Commissioner for Human Capital Development, Mrs. Ann Aligwe, and the Director- General of Ebonyi Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency, Dr. Stephen Odo, commended the Women Chamber of Commerce, Industry for the program which will further enlighten people on financial management, confidence building and independence in the economic sector, especially now that Governor Francis Nwifuru is doing everything possible to boost human capacity in the State against the prevailing high level of poverty.
They urged the women to always budget their annual expenditures and separate family expenditure from their business capital in order to excel.
In his goodwill message, the President of SALTCCIMA, Barr. Chukwuemeka Eze, represented by the 1st Deputy President, Dr. Mark Abani, urged the women to apply the lessons learnt from the Seminar in their business plans for better results.
The State Representative of WCCIMA-SALTCCIMA in Ebonyi State, Barrister Veronica Nnenna Eze, who admitted that Ebonyi is among the places where women are less informed on financial literacy, said the aim of the Seminar was to address the issue. Mrs. Eze said the body will further collaborate with other women groups to further sensitise the citizenry on the issue, including those in the hinterlands, and thanked the guest speaker, Mrs. Priscilla Eleje, the Royal Father of the Day, HRH Ezeogo Anthony Njoku, the former President- General of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo, High Chief Garry Enwo-Igariwey, the Chief Whip of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Hon. Nkem, the Chairman of Women Affairs in the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, and other dignatories for honouring the invitation.
The occasion was also used to install Princess Elemanya Ebilah as the Matron of WCCIMA-SALTCCIMA.
Earlier, the Director-General of SALTCCIMA, Dr. Emmanuel Nwafor, in his contribution, said that the Seminar was to device alternative planning to business management in this current high- level inflation as it’s no longer time for women to be jobless. He said further that proper financial management by women would help them to assist men in bearing the financial burden of the family.
Dr. Nwafor, who is a retired permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, urged the State Government to train individuals in skills or trades of their choices before releasing empowerment to the beneficiaries to achieve the desired result.
The event attracted Permanent Secretaries from the line Ministries of the Chamber movement such as Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Trade and Investment, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, etc. Also present were various classes of women groups, including market women, Ebonyi Women in Mining, women professionals, and members of SALTCCIMA.