By Ike Uchechukwu, CALABAR 

Nigeria’s  First Lady , Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has empowered 500 women in Cross River State with a grant of N50,000 each, under the Renewed Hope Initiative’s Economic Empowerment Programme.

Speaking during the flag-off ceremony weekend  in Calabar, Senator Tinubu represented by the Wife of the Cross River state, Mrs  Eyoanwan Bassey Otu, stated that the grant was  not a loan but a direct financial support aimed at uplifting women-led businesses across the country. 

Her words : “The initiative targets 18,500 women, 500 beneficiaries each from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).”

“This initiative is geared towards the empowerment of women with N50,000 each as a grant. It is not a loan but a seed from the Renewed Hope Initiative,” she added. 

“When you empower a woman, you empower a household. This initiative will have a positive impact on families and communities”, she said.

The programme is being implemented in collaboration with the Tony Elumelu Foundation, which has committed N1 billion to support the project. The grant targets women traders and small-scale business owners.

The First Lady  commended the Tony Elumelu Foundation for its support and commitment to the success of the Renewed Hope Initiative in Nigeria. 

She said the empowerment programme reflects a bold move to strengthen women’s financial independence through direct business recapitalisation support.

“We have seen how a little support in the hands of a woman becomes a seed for something greater, school fees paid, families fed, homes sustained, and communities uplifted,” she said. 

She lauded the collaboration  with the Tony Elumelu Foundation, describing it as a strong example of how the private sector can collaborate with public initiatives to drive sustainable development.