Senator Florence Ita-Giwa on Friday inaugurated a Garri Processing Plant at Ikpiri Obutong in Bakassi Local Government Area (LGA) of Cross River.
The plant was built by Care for Social Welfare International (CASWI), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the area.
Inaugurating the plant in Bakassi, Ita-Giwa, who was represented by Mr Eyo Bassey, Member Representing Bakassi State Constituency in the Cross River House of Assembly, thanked CASWI for the gesture.
The project was funded by Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund with support from UN Women.
While speaking on the project, Ita-Giwa, appealed to the women whom the project was meant for, to use the project wisely and ensure its sustainability.
After listening to some of their concerns, she said to make the project better for women, there would be concrete flooring of the garri frying area and walls to protect the local ovens.
“As part of our support for the project, we will ensure that there is a provision of borehole water and toilet facility around the plant.
“This model is good, we are going to replicate it in other parts of Bakassi as a source of empowerment for the Bakassi returnees and indigenes of the LGA,” she said.
Speaking on the initiative, Mr Ifeanyi Damian, Project Manager, CASWI, said the initiative, titled: ‘Women Household Empowerment Project’, was aimed at empowering displaced women.
Damian said the project would give the women a chance to become socially and economically active in their community while enabling them to participate in the course of women inclusion in leadership and decision making.
“Today, we celebrate a landmark achievement for the Bakassi returnees and IDP women; through our funders and technical support partners, CASWI has been able to establish a five-ton per hour garri processing mill for displaced women of Bakassi.
“This is to ensure they are financially independent and to increase their voices in this community to effectively participate in peace building and economic recovery of Bakassi community.
“We call on stakeholders to support this initiative by providing more raw cassava to the women cooperative groups that have been established under the project to coordinate the women and ensure sustainability,” Damian said.
Similarly, Mrs Happiness Edet, one of the Women Leaders in the camp said life had been very tough for them in the camp with high rate of poverty and insecurity, but the garri processing plant was a blessing to them.
