One thousand Anambra women traders were on Wednesday handed a cash grant of N50,000 each to support the recapitalization of their existing trades and small-scale businesses.
500 out of the total number were provided for under the Renewed Hope/ Tony Elumelu Foundation Women Economic Empowerment Program, while the remaining 500 were added by the wife of the Anambra State Governor, Dr Nonye Soludo.
The wife of Nigeria’s President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, presented the grants to the women, through Anambra’s First Lady, Dr Soludo, at the Light House in Awka
Addressing the women, Mrs Tinubu explained that the empowerment was about supporting the entrepreneurial spirit of women traders and small-scale business owners, determined to provide for their families and uplift their communities.
She made it clear that the money was a grant and not a loan, a seed of renewed hope to help beneficiaries recapitalize their existing businesses.
“When a woman is empowered, a nation is empowered. And that’s why we chose women for this, because we know that they are gifted in multiplying wealth.
“I want to thank the Tony Elumelu Foundation, which donated N1billion to the RHI.
“To directly support 18,500 women across the country, 500 of them were selected from each of the 36 states and the FCT to receive N50,000 each,” she said.
In her own remarks, Dr Soludo said she decided to up the number of beneficiaries to ensure that more women in the state benefit from the largesse.
Mrs Soludo, who reminded the beneficiaries that it is not about the amount they are empowered with, but about what they decide to do with the money they are getting, advised them to deploy the money appropriately to uplift their economic condition.
“I have seen people who got even less, but today, they are doing very well. So, it is all about what you decide to do with the money you are given and not necessarily how much you are given,” Soludo said.
The governor’s wife also used the opportunity to emphasize the need for women to eat healthy foods and maintain regular exercise, reminding them that high junk consumption can result in ill-health or even death, banishing every hope or aspiration.
The Chairman of Idemili South Council Area, Mrs Amaka Obi, acknowledged the humane disposition of the governor’s wife, in ensuring that the largesse brought for the women gets to them, and even adding to the number.
She said the first lady has been consistent in her pursuit of a better life for Anambra women.
On their parts, the Commissioner for Special Duties, Beverly Ikpeazu-Nkemdiche, and the Mayor of Awka South, Prince Chinedu Okafor expressed the hope that the largesse will lift a lot of families out of poverty.
