By Peter Duru, Makurdi

Dangote Cement Plc has empowered businesswomen in its host communities in Benue State with cash grants to help deepen business activities in the state as part of efforts by the company to boost women entrepreneurship in country.

Speaking at the ceremony Wednesday in Gboko, Group Head, Social Performance, Dangote Cement Plc, Mr. Wakeel Olayiwola said: “Through this scheme, selected women entrepreneurs in the host communities will receive ₦100,000 grants each to strengthen and expand their businesses.

“The financial support aims to boost local enterprise development at the grassroots level, empowering female business owners with capital to scale their operations. Each beneficiary will use the funds to address specific business needs, from purchasing inventory to upgrading equipment, creating tangible economic impact in their communities.”

According to him “when women succeed in business, they invest in their families’ education, health, and well-being, breaking the cycle of poverty and creating a ripple effect of positive change in their communities.”

He noted that the intervention would “enable the women to generate more income to sustain their families and reduce women’s over-reliance on their husbands.”

The Group Head, Social Performance explained that “the money is a grant and would not be paid back to the Dangote Cement.”

He pointed out that traditional leaders of Quarry, Tse-Kucha, Amua, Mbazembe, Mbatur and Pass Brothers host communities, as well as the Dangote Community Consultative Committee, DCCC, were responsible for the identification and selection of beneficiaries.

He assured that the company would monitor the progress of the women entrepreneurs and evaluate how the money was being invested.

The Acting Plant Director, Engr. Munusamy Murugan assured that the empowerment initiative would be an annual event.

Represented by Engr. Tavershima Soom, he pointed out that other economic empowerment programmes lined up by the company included farmers programme and youth skill acquisition programme, among several others.

Also, the Head of the Social Performance, Gboko Plant, Johnson Kor, told the community representatives that the company was doing a lot to support members of the communities, urging them to be good ambassadors of the Dangote Cement Plc.

Reacting, a beneficiary, 37 year-old Ruth Tser, who lauded the company for the support, said she would invest the money in her cassava farming business while 39 year-old Mrs Comfort Vishigh assured that she would use the money to grow her trade in commodities.

The women empowerment programme came few months after the Dangote Cement in Gboko increased bursary payments to students of host communities by more than 100 percent.

Recalled that company and six host communities in Benue state had last year signed a historic Community Development Agreement, CDA, which evoked jubilation in Gboko communities.