Financial experts have called for the provision of loans and more empowerment for women and girls as they are the most vulnerable during COVID-19 pandemic.
They spoke on Wednesday during an online event on, “Experts weigh in on the impact of COVID-19 on women at the bottom of the pyramid.”
The experts also said more essential services should be directed towards women and young girls.
The Founder and former Managing Director, Lift Above Poverty Organisation Microfinance Bank Limited, Godwin Ehigiamusoe, said there was a need for conversations between government agencies and the most vulnerable women to address their challenges.
He also said there was a need for a restructuring of loan facilities with an emphasis on disadvantaged women.
While highlighting LAPO’s initiatives in this regard, he said, “This financial product had been used by LAPO microfinance bank to help low scale business owners with cash flow problems.”
The Secretary-General, Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative, Saudatu Mahdi, observed that women and young girls had been more vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She stressed the need for a national database of women in the lowest economic strata.
The database, she explained, would give financial agencies a clearer understanding of where the services were needed most, and how they could be made available.She said the accounts of violence against women had increased due to the pandemic.