The Group Executive Director, Government and Strategic Relations, Aliko Dangote Group, Engr. Mansur Ahmed, has launched a micro-grant scheme for 16,000 women in Kwara state, in an effort to fight poverty and hunger in the state.
Ahmed stated this on Wednesday, at Bode-Saadu, where he launched the disbursement of the N10,000 micro grant to each of the 16,000 rural women drawn from across the state.
He said the event, which was part of a N10 billion programme, was designed to fight poverty and hunger in Nigeria, by the Aliko Dangote Foundation which expects to cover the entire country by the end of 2022.
“This is a N10bn programme that we want to extend to every state in Nigeria. That’s from each of the 774 local government areas in Nigeria.
“We expect to work with relevant stakeholders and state authorities, to identify and select 1,000 vulnerable women in particular, and give them a one-off grant of N10,000 each. This, we hope will bring these women out of poverty,” he said.
Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq commended the Dangote Foundation for the gesture, while calling on other corporate organisations and wealthy individuals to continue to support government in lifting as many people as possible out of poverty.
AbdulRazaq, who was represented by his deputy, Mr Kayode Alabi, said government was particularly grateful to have private organisations committing their funds to lift citizens from extreme poverty, by giving them non-refundable micro grants such as this.
“It is a welcome development and we urge more well-heeled individuals to emulate the Dangote Foundation and others that are doing this.
“Such collaborations complement government’s multi-sectoral anti-poverty measures such as our own social investment programmes which also target the poorest of the poor and the vulnerable,” the governor said.
He said the process to generate the names of the beneficiaries, including widows and women at the end of the economic pyramid, was bottom-up as it involved traditional, religious leaders, as well as community-based organisations.
“I want to sincerely thank Alhaji Aliko Dangote who has been giving back to the society in no small measure through the Aliko Dangote Foundation.
“I also commend the various committees that went round our communities to produce the list of beneficiaries of the micro grants for rural women.
“It is important to state that these committees comprise mainly community and religious leaders, women organisations, and community-based groups,” he said.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Community Development, Kayode Oyin-Zubair, said the micro grants aligned with the programmes of the state government and aimed at improving the welfare of rural women.
“I want to appreciate the leadership of Dangote Foundation for extending the programme to Kwara where 16,000 rural women are benefitting.
“This programme will take 16,000 women out of extreme poverty and hunger. We can never appreciate you more,” he said.
