By Peter Duru, Makurdi

The Centre for Redefining Alternative Civic Engagement for Africa (RACE), in collaboration with its partners, has commenced a leadership training for members of the Tahav Women Cooperative Society, established for vulnerable women in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps and host communities in Benue State.

The training targets leaders of the cooperative society and is designed to strengthen their capacity to effectively manage the group and ensure its long-term sustainability.

Speaking on the essence of the programme, the Assistant Executive Director of the Gender and Environmental Risk Reduction Initiative (GERI), Stephanie Tamang, who represented the Executive Director of RACE, Evelyn Ugbe, said the initiative was aimed at positioning the women to successfully run a viable cooperative.

“They already have leaders, and it is important to train these leaders so they can be skilled and apply the knowledge to grow the cooperative,” Tamang said.

She explained that the training would equip participants with the necessary knowledge and skills to sustain the cooperative beyond the lifespan of the project.

“At the end of the project, they need to have the capacity to grow and sustain the cooperative on their own. That is what this training is all about,” she added.

Tamang noted that the programme marked the beginning of a series of capacity-building sessions for the women, assuring that more trainings would follow to further enhance their competencies.

She stated that the training is focused on equipping the women with skills to improve their economic independence, stressing that being displaced or living in host communities should not limit the women’s potential to grow and succeed economically.

“Just because you are living in an IDP camp or host community does not mean you cannot grow beyond that,” Tamang emphasized.

According to her, the intervention, which is sponsored by the French Embassy, “has been ongoing since June 2025 and is currently benefiting 50 women, although the leadership training is intended to be cascaded to other members of the cooperative.”

Declaring the training open, the Director-General of the Benue State Bureau for International Cooperation and Development (BICD), Dr. Leo Viashima, urged participants to fully utilise the opportunity and apply the knowledge gained for the growth of the cooperative and the improvement of their livelihoods.