A not-for-profit organisation, EGO Foundation, committed to empowering women in Nigeria, has flagged off the Women Traditional Textile Design (WTTD) in Lagos.
Executive Director of EGO Foundation, Toluwase Olaniyan, said the symposium was designed to orientate applicants and share invaluable insights into the fashion and arts world.
According to him, it will not only increase the participation of more women in the existing markets but increase their access to funds and control over productive resources.
He said the training would run through a month to empower women with the requisite skills needed to be self-sufficient and financially independent.
He stressed that the project would also help in bridging the economic divide while promoting arts, fashion and entrepreneurship.
“Women are indeed the major drivers of economic growth and needed to be properly equipped with the requisite skills, resources and knowledge to play their roles adequately,” he said.
Also, Vice Chairman, Onigbongbo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Olufunke Hassan, said the initiative was not only empowering women but enriching them with skills and keeping the tradition of local textiles.
She stressed that Nigeria needed to move away from being an import-dependent and consuming nation to an exporting nation, which could be met if handled properly.
“Like the Swiss are known for their chocolate, why can’t Nigeria be known for its exquisite textile? It is about having the creativity and imagination to turn an open space into a textile village. Not only are we exporting our textile, but we will become a centre point for tourism as well, so the opportunities are boundless,” she said.
