Lagos State government has intensified its poverty alleviation and economic empowerment drive, providing business tools and equipment to 5,339 residents while graduating 5,310 people from its network of tuition-free skills acquisition centres across the state in the last one year.

The intervention, implemented through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA), forms part of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s strategy to reduce poverty, promote entrepreneurship and create sustainable livelihoods for vulnerable residents.
Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Hon. Bolaji Cecilia Dada, disclosed the figures during the ministry’s ministerial press briefing marking the third year of the governor’s second term in office.
According to Dada, the state has continued to invest heavily in human capital development through its 19 Skills Acquisition Centres spread across the five divisions of Lagos, as well as the Women Development Centre in Agege.

She revealed that 5,310 students successfully completed vocational training programmes during the review period, acquiring skills in areas such as fashion design, catering, cosmetology, barbing, ICT, welding, furniture making, photography, textile production and other trades.

The commissioner said many of the graduates had gone on to establish businesses and become employers of labour rather than job seekers.

To ensure beneficiaries are able to translate their skills into sustainable income, Dada said the government provided tools and equipment to 5,339 beneficiaries under its Micro Enterprise Support Initiative (MESI).

She noted that about 70 per cent of those empowered under the initiative were graduates of the state’s skills acquisition centres.

“Through the Micro Enterprise Support Initiative, beneficiaries have been provided with equipment and tools to grow businesses, turning dreams into livelihoods and livelihoods into engines of economic growth,” she said.

Dada explained that the programme was designed to promote self-reliance, financial independence and long-term economic stability among women, young adults and other vulnerable groups across the state.

In a further push towards digital inclusion, the commissioner disclosed that 600 beneficiaries received Android phones after completing a three-day Digital Marketing and E-Commerce Training Programme organised by the ministry.

The training equipped artisans, market women, traders and young entrepreneurs with practical skills in online marketing, social media branding, customer engagement and electronic commerce.

According to Dada, the initiative was aimed at ensuring that small businesses and economically active residents are not left behind in the rapidly evolving digital economy.

The commissioner also highlighted the state’s efforts to support women in agriculture, revealing that 1,485 women benefitted from agricultural training and empowerment programmes at the ministry’s farm settlement in Avia, Badagry.

The beneficiaries were trained in cassava cultivation, garri processing, fish farming, vegetable production and other agribusiness activities aimed at boosting food security and household incomes.

Dada further disclosed that 1,500 residents, including persons living with disabilities, benefitted from the ministry’s Life Skills and Economic Empowerment Programme (LEEP), where participants received vocational training and starter packs to launch businesses.

She said the ministry remains committed to empowering residents with practical skills and economic opportunities capable of reducing poverty and improving living standards across Lagos.

According to her, the administration’s focus is not merely on providing welfare support but on creating pathways for sustainable economic independence.

“Our interventions are designed to ensure that residents acquire the skills, tools and confidence required to become financially independent and contribute meaningfully to the economy of Lagos State,” Dada said.