More than 100 women in Kwale county have been empowered with digital marketing and business skills to improve their livelihoods through agribusiness.
Speaking on Monday in Ukunda, Deputy Governor Fatuma Achani said the move will act as an economic stimulus for post-Covid-19 for women who lost their jobs during the pandemic.
“We are creating a conducive environment for women on how they can restart businesses and find good ready markets to recover quickly after coronavirus,” Achani said.
The women were trained under the 50 Million African Women Speak programme.
It is based on providing capacity-building, training, economic and social empowerment targeted to support women and community.
The women mostly came from Lunga Lunga and Msambweni subcounties.
Achani said the platform enables women to have easy access to digital information and financial assistance for small business enterprises.
It is expected to provide a good networking forum for them both locally and internationally.
Through the programme, Achani said the county aims at increasing food security and equal employment opportunities.
The deputy governor said the county is rolling out about Sh123 million to various empowerment groups to help women sustain their endeavours.
“We have the trade revolving funds that support women to do small businesses, ” she said.
She said the Elimu ni Sasa Initiative was meant to cushion parents from the school fee burden and enable them to save enough for development. The education programme was launched in 2013 by Governor Salim Mvurya to boost the county’s educational performance.
Achani said the county government indulges in transformative projects such as introducing irrigation farming in drylands to alleviate the poverty.
Apart from making dams and water pans, she said, farmers are given free certified seeds, ploughing tractors and basic knowledge on maximising production.