Elochukwu Benjamin
Awka
No fewer than 500 women in Anambra State on Wednesday, received business equipment, including deep freezers, industrial grinding machines, generators and gas cookers, under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)/Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) Women Empowerment Programme aimed at strengthening livelihoods and promoting financial independence.
The empowerment programme, held at the Light House, Awka, formed part of the South-East phase of the nationwide initiative, which is being implemented across Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states.
The beneficiaries, drawn largely from vulnerable groups such as widows, wives of fallen heroes and indigent women, received productive assets intended to help them establish new businesses or expand existing ones.
Speaking during the event, Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, said the programme was designed to promote economic inclusion by equipping women with tools that would enable them to become financially self-reliant.
Senator Tinubu, whose message was delivered by the First Lady of Anambra State, Dr Nonye Soludo said the intervention aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which places emphasis on inclusive economic growth and sustainable development through the empowerment of women.
According to her, “investing in women’s economic empowerment also advances the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal Five on gender equality and Goal Eight on decent work and economic growth.”
She also appreciated Governor Chukwuma Soludo and Dr Nonye Soludo for supporting the implementation of the Renewed Hope Initiative in Anambra State.
Earlier, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, represented by a senior official from her office, said the programme was deliberately targeted at women who possess the determination to succeed but lack the productive assets needed to improve their livelihoods.
She explained that the initiative goes beyond distributing equipment, noting that it is intended to unlock economic potential, foster self-reliance and create lasting opportunities for women to build sustainable businesses.
In separate goodwill messages, the Secretary to the Anambra State Government, Mrs Chiamaka Nnake, and the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Esther Onyekesi, praised the collaboration between the Federal Government and the Anambra State Government, describing the intervention as a practical step toward improving household incomes.
They urged beneficiaries to make productive use of the equipment so the programme would translate into thriving businesses and lasting economic benefits.
Some of the beneficiaries expressed gratitude for the intervention, saying the equipment would help them expand their businesses, increase their earnings and achieve greater financial independence.
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