Over 11 Thousand women are to individually benefit from N60,000 strategic World Bank programme grant under the Nigeria for women project scheme in Niger State North Central Nigeria.
The Nigerian Minister of women affairs Dame Pauline Tallen, stated this during the flag off of the first batch of grant disbursement to women in Gurara Local government area of Niger state on Monday.
The Minister who categorised the disbursement strategy say’s ” 232 women are to benefit from the first batch of the disbursement with each having N60,000,while 875 are expected to benefit in the second batch of the grant.”
Dame Tallen further said “The Nigerian government has already secured support from the World Bank in a bid to empower women overcome institutional and market failures limiting them from improving their socio-economic status and access to market.”
Developmental activities
The Minister who assured that her Ministry in collaboration with its counterpart at the state level would continue to do everything possible to improve the life of women even as the Federal government is exploring ways to cover all the states of the Federation in the programme, however commended women in the country for their commitment in various developmental activities in the country.
The National Cordinator Nigeria For Women Project Mrs Ruth Mshelia further stated that the programme was designed for women drawn from 6 states across the 6 geopolitical zones of the country.
“Niger state came first in the performing chart out of the 6 implementing states with over 52,000 women beneficiaries in out of the 239,526 women targeted in the country,” she stated.
Improve the small businesses
Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger State who flagged off the first batch of individual grant disbursement to women in Gawu Babangida community, Gurara local government area of the state, noted that the grant which is the second component of the project, was to serve as an incentive to improve the small businesses of the beneficiaries.
The Governor who further mentioned that the event signified the commencement of funds disbursement in the piloting local government areas such as Gurara, Agaie and Wushishi which represented the three Senatorial zones of the state.
He said his administration would continue to demonstrate commitment to the payment of counterpart funds so as to attract more interventions to better the lives of the people especially, women.
“We applied a lot of efforts to ensure we came first in the programme in the entire country and that is why the programme is being flagged off here in Niger State,” Governor Sani Bello stated.
The Niger State Governor, however commended the State Project Coordinator Alhaji Sarki Bello and his team for making the State proud and thanked the Nigerian government, The World Bank and other relevant stakeholders for the laudable initiative.
Lateefah Ibrahim
Lateefah Ibrahim
