Rose Xetsa Hadzide, a trainer, has urged women to acquire relevant vocational and entrepreneurial skills to enable them to attain economic empowerment and financial independence.

She said skills acquisition was critical in modern times, stressing that women should not depend solely on their husbands or partners for their livelihood and basic needs.

Hadzide made the call at a liquid soap-making training workshop organised for residents of Adzonkor and Agbedor Kofe at Agbedor Kofe in the Agortime-Ziope District of the Volta Region.

The training, which attracted several women and young people, was aimed at equipping participants with practical skills to start small-scale businesses and improve their income levels.

Hadzide, also a final-year Nursing student of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, encouraged the participants to put the knowledge and skills acquired into practice and to extend the training to others in their communities to help reduce unemployment.

She noted that the government alone could not provide jobs for everyone, making it necessary for individuals, especially women, to create employment opportunities for themselves through entrepreneurship.

“As women, we must empower ourselves with skills that can earn us income and make us self-reliant. When you learn something useful, practise it and teach others,” she advised.

Kafui Latsu, a beneficiary of the training, expressed appreciation to the organisers for the initiative and, on behalf of the participants, pledged to put the skills acquired to good use to improve their livelihoods.

She said the training had opened new opportunities for them to venture into small businesses and support their families financially.