NGO empowers market women in Abuja
Hip City Innovative Center has proposed an innovative market model to tackle the challenges poor market women face in accessing formal and structured spaces for their businesses.
This project seeks to create opportunities for poor women by providing them affordable trading spaces to conduct their businesses.
The Executive Director of Hip City Innovation Center, Bassey Bassey, took time during an event that held in Abuja, on Wednesday, to explain the importance of this initiative.
“What we’re doing here today is presenting a market—the market co-created between urban poor women and our organisation, alongside our consultants—to the government and other stakeholders. The goal is to have the model adopted and replicated on the ground so that women who are disadvantaged can find dignified spaces to engage in legitimate trade.” He said.
He clarified that the model is a product of thorough research. He stated that it highlights the issues poor market women face in getting presentable spaces for their business. Then he referred to the ridiculously high cost of renting or buying a stall.
“Many of these women simply cannot afford the exorbitant costs associated with renting or buying stalls in formal markets. Even the so-called low-cost spaces are still beyond their reach, pushing them to street hawking, which not only endangers them but also leads to regular clashes with authorities due to Abuja’s strict laws against street trading”, He said
Applauding the initiative, The Acting Director of Housing Satellite Towns Development Department, FCTA, Architect Omonokpono Nchota Benson, said that the project will significantly reduce crime rate.
She suggested that more partnerships be initiated to support the government in empowering women. She also hinted at the FCTA’s willingness to provide lands to drive the initiative.
“The government will bring in, maybe their technologies, their land, while the company sources the resources to do it, charge to the country,” she said
Stephen Ajadi, the project consultant, summed up the goal of the project in the following words, “The basic aim of what we’re doing is to create very pragmatic and sustainable spaces for people with very low incomes in Abuja, particularly women.”
Join Our Social Media Channels:
WhatsApp: NaijaEyes
Facebook: NaijaEyes
Twitter: NaijaEyes
Instagram: NaijaEyes
TikTok: NaijaEyes