Soludo’s wife empowers 1,000 female traders with N50,000

Dr. Nonye Soludo, wife of the Anambra State Governor, has empowered no fewer than 1,085 female traders in Dunukofia Local Government Area of the state with cash support to boost their businesses.

The empowerment programme, held at Ukpo, Dunukofia LG headquarters, aimed to boost the economic sustainability of low-income traders, primarily women involved in petty trading, known as “Ndi afia table”.

The beneficiaries, selected across major markets in all communities within the LG, received a cash grant of N50,000 each to boost their businesses and sustain economic growth in their families.

Mrs. Soludo, while speaking during the programme on Saturday, thanked the benefactors for thinking towards humanity and for providing solutions to economic sustainability of poor homes.

She said, “The idea of this empowerment programme is to support your business, so that you can do better and support your families. The value of empowerment is not in the amount of money given, but in the effort and dedication you invest in growing your resources and becoming successful.

“We know that most of you are petty traders, but if you apply the funds we are giving you now to your business and apply due diligence, you will excel. You can also build a relationship with the people who supply goods to you, such that they can be giving you on the condition that you will sell and pay to them. If you are honest, they will trust you and you can use the opportunity to expand your business.

“This empowerment complements the state government’s ongoing efforts in human capital development, which include the employment of 8,115 teachers, over 1,000 health workers, digital training for more than 30,000 youths, and the ‘One Youth, Two Skills’ programme that has empowered 5,000 youths with a ₦2 billion fund, with over 8,000 more to be empowered this year.

“We urge you to capitalise on these opportunities provided to also boost your businesses, as the agency is open and ready to assist any organized cooperative groups ready to come in.”

Soludo stressed the importance of the empowerment, stating that its long-term impacts will take so many homes out of poverty and boost the economic sustainability index of the local government and the state in general.

She further urged the beneficiaries to build on the support and see it as a push to financial independence and economic stability.

Chijioke Ozumba, Chairman of Dunukofia LG, said the empowerment complements many other self-driven projects that the council is carrying out, including enrolment of hundreds of people into the state health insurance scheme, scholarship awards and business support for skilled workers.

Ozumba commended Prof. Chukwuma Soludo for putting Dunukofia in his development roadmap, pointing out that the area remains one of the major beneficiaries of the current administration’s development master plan.

The empowerment programme was sponsored by notable sons of the LG, Arthur Eze and Chief Jim Nwabueze, with support from the local government administration.