Aliko Dangote, Chairman of the Dangote Foundation and Africa’s richest man, yesterday flagged-off a micro-grant scheme in Sokoto to empower and lift 23,990 poor and vulnerable women out of poverty across the 23 Local Government Areas in the state.
In another gesture, Dangote, fresh from a recent donation of two student hostels to the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, kicked off the Sokoto phase of a scheme targeted at empowering 774,000 women (1,000 women from each of the 774 Local Government Areas across Nigeria), at the cost of N10 billion. So far, the sum of N3.345 billion has been disbursed by the ADF to 334,500 women across Kano, Jigawa, Kogi, Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Lagos, Niger and Nasarawa States.
The President/CEO of Dangote Industries Limited, ranked the 6th most charitable person in the world in 2018, was accompanied by the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar, (represented by the Emir of Argungu, Alhaji Samaila Muhammad Mera), executive management of the Dangote Group, top dignitaries and traditional rulers in the State.
Speaking at the event, Dangote welcomed all to the official flag-off ceremony and disclosed that, “In Sokoto we are empowering 23,990 women, including those in the IDP camps in Rabah LGA. 1,000 vulnerable women were selected in each of your 23 LGAs. However due to the displacement of the community in Rabah, we have also included all eligible women in the IDP camp, totalling 1,990 women for Rabah LGA.”
Addressing the Governor in his remarks, he said, “The Micro-grants programme is one component of the Economic Empowerment pillar of the Aliko Dangote Foundation. We will provide the 23,990 vulnerable women identified by your selection committee, with a one-off, unconditional N10,000.00 cash grant to boost their household income. This we believe will help reduce their vulnerability and meet their livelihood needs.’’
Good journalism costs a lot of money, only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, accountability democracy and a transparent government.
For continued free access to the best investigative journalism, we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble profession.
