Sightsavers Nigeria has empowered 2,878 adolescent girls and young women with disabilities in Kano and Lagos states through business education, entrepreneurship training and career development support under its Girls Education and Skills Partnership (GESP) programme.
The organisation disclosed this during the close-out ceremony of the Strengthening Access to Business Education and Inclusion for Women (SABI-Woman) project held in Abuja. The initiative was implemented in partnership with organisations of persons with disabilities, Project Enable Africa, the Kanawa Educational Foundation for the Disabled, private sector partners and development institutions.
Speaking at the event, Sightsavers Nigeria Country Director, Prof. Joy Shuaibu, said the project was designed to equip adolescent girls and women with disabilities with practical skills for sustainable livelihoods while helping them realise their full potential through mentorship and life coaching. She explained that participants received training in business literacy, bookkeeping, product costing and enterprise management, and were linked to manufacturers, including Unilever, to access goods on credit for resale. She added that beneficiaries were also connected to financial institutions to improve access to loans, grants and other business opportunities.
Shuaibu noted that beyond improving livelihoods, the initiative had positively impacted families and communities, while stressing that stigma remained one of the greatest barriers confronting persons with disabilities.
Also speaking, Sightsavers Nigeria Country Advocacy Coordinator, Mrs. Esther Bature, said the project provided employability and entrepreneurship training to 1,512 young women with disabilities and delivered life skills and career guidance to 1,366 adolescent girls. She added that 1,647 employees were trained on workplace disability inclusion and equal opportunity practices, while 217 life coaches, 202 technical and vocational education facilitators and 127 business advisors received specialised training to promote inclusive education and enterprise development.
According to Bature, 670 women received business starter kits worth more than N40 million, with beneficiaries repaying 88 per cent of the support funds, demonstrating the sustainability and viability of disability-inclusive entrepreneurship initiatives.
Representatives of development partners commended the project’s impact. Representing the Gates Foundation, Dr. Avuwa Oteri described the initiative as a practical model for advancing women’s economic empowerment and disability inclusion through partnerships and community engagement. UNICEF Education Specialist, Mrs. Nneka Ogbansiegbe, called for stronger collaboration to promote inclusion and empowerment for children and young persons with disabilities, while Mr. Richard Grubb, Education Adviser at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), said the project had demonstrated how inclusive systems could enable girls and women with disabilities to achieve their full potential.
Beneficiaries also shared testimonies of the programme’s impact. Miss Aisha Morenikeji-Ogunkoya, a visually impaired final-year student of Yaba College of Technology, recounted overcoming discrimination and encouraged persons with disabilities to maximise their potential. Another beneficiary, Miss Aisha Usman, said the entrepreneurship training strengthened her business management skills and enabled her to expand her henna business. The event also featured panel discussions on disability inclusion and awards recognising outstanding beneficiaries, individuals and institutions that contributed to the success of the SABI-Woman project.
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