By Beatrice Gondyi
The Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF) has empowered 20,000 vulnerable women from the 20 local governments in the State with N200 million micro-grant for socioeconomic development.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony on Tuesday, in Bauchi, the President and Founder of the foundation, Aliko Dangote, represented by the Chief Executive Director Dangote Foundation, Engineer Masur Ahmed disclosed that 1,000 vulnerable women were drawn from each of the state’s 20 local government areas with each woman receiving N10,000 as start-up capital.
He said the Foundation introduced the initiative two years ago, to empower 1000 vulnerable women in each of the 774 Local governments across the country.
He explained that so far, Bauchi is the 13th state in the country to benefit from the grant.
“The Micro-grants programme is a major component of the Economic Empowerment pillar of the Foundation. It provides disadvantaged and vulnerable women with a one-off, unconditional N10,000,00 cash transfer to boost their household income generation, it will help reduce their vulnerability and meet their livelihood needs,” he said.
Dangote said that apart from the empowerment programme for women, the foundation will introduce schemes and Programmes to improve the health of the people of the state by enhancing health facilities in the state, adding that the foundation will also identify and explore investment opportunities that will promote economic activities, thereby providing jobs for unemployed youths in the state.
Speaking during the flag-off ceremony, the Bauchi State governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed commended the Aliko Dangote Foundation for partnering with the state government to empower the lives of women in the state, saying that the gesture shows the commitment of the Foundation to boost socio-economic development in the country.
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He said that in line with the foundation guidelines, a 19-member steering committee was constituted under the executive chairman of the Bauchi State Commission for Youth and Women Rehabilitation and Development (BACYWORD), Tanko Duste, to ensure the successful implementation of the exercise in the state.
He assured the Aliko Dangote foundation of a hitch-free disbursement of the grant as required by the agreement, adding that the report of the grant activity will be produced with an account of what transpired, what was accomplished with a comprehensive list of the beneficiaries of the micro-grant, including their addresses and what the grant was meant for.
