By Udeme Hosea

The Akwa Ibom State Government said it has increased registered cooperative societies in the state to 31,607, following the registration of 607 new societies in 2025.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Cooperatives and Rural Development, Mrs Alice Ekpenyong, disclosed this during the Ministerial Briefing in Uyo on Monday.

Ekpenyong said the growth in the sector is a deliberate use of cooperatives as a vehicle for grassroots economic inclusion and poverty reduction. She added that, 1,760 cooperatives have been audited to strengthen transparency and accountability, while 5,000 trustees are targeted for capacity building to improve cooperative management.

She announced that, under the ARISE Women Cooperative Programme, 368 cooperative societies have been registered across 369 wards, targeting about 73,000 women in the first phase. She explained that the initiative is designed to give rural women access to finance, markets and enterprise support.

Ekpenyong also said about 486 kilometres of rural roads have been rehabilitated under the Akwa Ibom Rural Access Movement (AKRAM) to ease the movement of farm produce, reduce post-harvest losses, improve access to markets and essential services.

On women affairs and social welfare, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs Inibehe Etukudo, said about 1,732 widows have been financially empowered and 248 sewing machines distributed to women as livelihood support.

Etukudo said over 3,600 women have been sensitized on their rights and inheritance, while 93 survivors of gender-based violence have received financial empowerment to rebuild their lives.

She disclosed that a 20-member State Committee on the Elimination of Gender-Based Violence has been inaugurated, with 28 communities engaged against harmful traditional practices affecting women and girls.

On child welfare, she said 493 children are receiving care and protection in government-owned children’s homes, with educational support and skills acquisition provided, adding that 22 caregivers and five graduates from the homes have been granted automatic employment.

In his tone setting, the Commissioner for Information, Hon Aniekan Umanah PhD, said the Ministerial Briefing was convened to provide factual and data-driven accounts of the administration’s impact in the last three years.

Umanah, further added that the briefing is part of Governor Umo Eno’s commitment to transparency and accountability, where ministries present verifiable evidence of how interventions are reducing poverty, creating jobs and improving livelihoods across the 31 Local Government Areas.

He stated that the government is deliberately shifting from pronouncements to measurable results, with beneficiary lists documented, projects tracked and audits instituted to ensure proper utilization of funds.