The Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF) has doled out a whopping $10 million as part of its unconditional Micro Grant Programme for empowering women in rural areas across Nigeria.
Speaking at the flag-off of its one-off unconditional Micro-grants Programme in Bauchi State, Africa’s richest man and Chairman of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, represented by the company’s Group Executive Director, Government and Strategic Relations, Mr Mansur Ahmed said so far over 400,000 poor women have benefited from the programme in the country.
According to Africa’s top philanthropist, the unconditional micro-grant is aimed at supporting the government effort’s in empowering poor families across the country.
He said the Foundation had earmarked $24.3 million to be disbursed to vulnerable women across the 774 Local Government Areas in the country.
Dangote, who is the Founder of the Foundation, said states that have also benefitted from the scheme include: Lagos, Kano, Jigawa, Kogi, Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Niger, Nasarawa, Sokoto, Katsina and Kwara.
He added that the next states to benefit from the programme are: Osun, Edo, Ogun, Rivers, Anambra and Ebonyi, respectively.
“The Micro-grants programme is one component of the Economic Empowerment pillar of the Aliko Dangote Foundation. It provides disadvantaged and vulnerable women with a one-off, unconditional N10,000 cash transfer to boost their household income generation. This we believe will help reduce their vulnerability and meet their livelihood needs,” he added.
He said it is gratifying to note that majority of women who benefitted from the scheme have been able to grow the seed capital.
While thanking Aliko Dangote Foundation for coming to assist the vulnerable women in Bauchi State, Governor Senator Bala Abdulkadir Muhammad said he was very elated with ADF’s intervention across the country and especially in his state.
He expressed optimism that the intervention will support the lives and livelihoods of women, children and families in Bauchi State.
“Aliko Dangote is a beacon of hope for the Bauchi people. He has been creating not only business institutions at the highest levels but also touching lives at the lowest level. He seems to understand Nigeria more than some of us who are politicians. He’s supporting our mothers who will help put food on our tables and train their children in schools.
“We’ve just named the school of nursing and midwifery after him. This is to mark his huge contribution to our societies in Bauchi.”
“We are also using this opportunity to inform him that he should come and invest in Bauchi. We have the highest deposit of limestone in the country. We have the largest arable land and the largest forest. Bauchi is also very peaceful and secured.”
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