*Spends N4.4bn on youth, women empowerment
By; TINA PHINEAS, Yola
The Adamawa State Poverty Alleviation and Wealth Creation Agency (PAWECA), in its renewed quest at wiping poverty from the state by 2027, has said that it has spent over N4.4 billion in empowering youth and women for self actualisation in the last couple of years.
The Coordinator of PAWECA, Hajiya Aisha Bawa who addressed newsmen on the activities of the agency, said it has achieved much in raising the status of the poor and vulnerable since the agency was revived in 2019.
According to her, the agency is working toward getting every Adamawa person gainfully engaged by the next three years,and wipe poverty from among people of the state by the year 2027.
The agency’s coordinator explained how the agency spends money under its wealth creation or skills development or empowerment programmes.
“Under social support service, we have 15,000 beneficiaries: those that are having N10,000; N20,000; N30,000 and N50,000 depending on which category you belong.
“We work to keep poverty and unemployment to the bearest minimum,” the coordinator added.
She said her agency places much focus on personal skills development of beneficiaries because, “All over the world, it is not your educational qualification but what skill you have.”
Bawa posited that PAWECA is championing the revival of micro, small and medium enterprises, adding that the agency has empowered over 7,000 micro businesses across Adamawa State, and many have earned support grants to grow their businesses.
“Government has very good plans for the poor and vulnerable and we are determined to push the plans through. By the special grace of God, by the year 2027 we will kick poverty and unemployment out of Adamawa State,” she stressed.
