No fewer than 120 women from the six South-West states are to get the sum of N60 million from The Renewed Hope Initiative, a social intervention programme of the wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tunubu.
Senator Tinubu, who disclosed this on Tuesday at the launch of the Renewed Hope Initiative Women Agricultural Support Programme for South-West and flagg off of the 2024 Ogun State Planting Season, held at the Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, also said that N10 million would be given to 100 persons with disability to capitalize their existing businesses.
She said, “Today, we are supporting 20 women farmers per state with the sum of N500,000 each. To this end, a draft of N10 million per state for the South West zone will be handed over to the wives of the governors of Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, and Oyo states, who are the Renewed Hope Initiative, RHI, state coordinators for onward disbursement to all beneficiaries in their respective states.
“The Renewed Hope Initiative Social Investment Programme will be empowering 100 persons with disability, small business owners in Ogun State, with a sum of N100,000 each to recapitalise their existing businesses.”
Senator Tinubu also disclosed that the RHI would be collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to empower farmers, saying that 75 per cent of the beneficiaries, who will be young female farmers and 25 per cent young male farmers would be specially identified, trained and empowered under the program.
The First Lady, while adding that the pre-identified 80 women farmers in each state for agricultural support program would be carried along, urged women farmers to seize the opportunity to expand their agricultural ventures and contribute to local and national food production.
She said, “In a short while, the Renewed Hope Initiative will be collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to empower potential farmers. In this phase, 75 per cent of the beneficiaries will be young female farmers while 25 per cent will be for young male farmers. They will all be specially identified, trained and empowered.
“I want to implore our women farmers receiving support today to seize this opportunity to expand their agricultural ventures, contribute to local and national food production and serve as role models for others aspiring to join the agricultural sector.”
Earlier in his remarks, governor of Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun disclosed that his administration, through the Oko’owo Dapo scheme has assisted over 50,000 women to grow their businesses with additional funding from the Federal Government’s Nigeria for Women Project.
Abiodun, who added that the total investment of the scheme now stands at about N1.5 billion, said the Ogun Broiler Empowerment Scheme, through which day old chicks were given to women and broilers taken from them every 90 days, have also empowered over 500 women agric entrepreneurs.
Governor Abiodun, while noting that his administration has also launched Ibi-Dero, an initiative specifically targeted at pregnant indigent women for pre-natal delivery, post-natal and neo-natal care free of charge, maintained that his administration has succeeded in reducing Maternal and Child Mortality Rate in the state.
The Gateway State helmsman noted that his administration has prioritized the welfare and empowerment of women as a result of their population, adding that his government has also implemented programmes aimed at boosting the status of women by including them in politics, governance and economic activities, as well as providing education for girls.
Abiodun added that the Renewed Hope Initiative Women Agricultural Support Programme, holds a special resonance, as it mirrors the resilience and tenacity of women in the state and the South-West, saying that the spirit of women is integral to driving agricultural innovation and economic growth.
Noting that Renewed Hope Initiative program symbolizes the determination of his administration to uplift women farmers, fortifying the agricultural framework and aligning with the sustainable development goals to ensure food security and sufficiency, Governor Abiodun added that investing in women extends beyond moral obligations.
In her welcome address, the wife of the governor of Ogun State, and the state coordinator of RHI in the state, Mrs. Bamidele Abiodun, noted that the initiative is to celebrate and empower women in agriculture, commending the first lady for sponsoring students with interest in agriculture to Belarus for more studies.
She noted that supporting women in agriculture in the state would help to improve the agriculture value chain, adding that the discrimination against people with disabilities would soon become a thing of the past with the determination of Senator Tinubu to make the required difference.
In her remarks, the South-West zonal coordinator for RHI, and wife of the governor of Oyo State, Mrs. Tamunominini Olufunke Makinde, noted that the support program would assist women in agriculture thereby improving the agriculture sector of the states, urging the beneficiaries to use the support judiciously.
