Abuja, Nigeria – The First Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, has said that the Federal is set to launch the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) Women Economic Empowerment Programme for women petty traders in Nigeria.
Mrs Tinubu gave this indication in Abuja on Wednesday when she met with wives of state governors and RHI state co-ordinators on RHI activities.
The President’s wife said that under this scheme, RHI will provide N50,000 grant to 1,000 Women Petty Traders in each of the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to her, ,the programme is designed to recapitalize existing small businesses of the beneficiaries and support their growth.
While saying that the programme will be officially launched on August 22, 2024, she called States that are yet to submit their list of beneficiaries to do so immediately.
The meeting was for the third quarter of the year, 2024, at which the office of the First Lady reviewed successes achieved in previous quarters.
“The successes we have achieved would not have been possible without your dedication and hard work. I thank you all,” Tinubu said.
Reeling out the activities of her office, Tinubu said “In Education, RHI is collaborating with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), and the African Union Development Agency – New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD).
She said “For Health, we are collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and other agencies like the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), the Stop TB Partnership, and UNICEF.
“In Agriculture, we will be working with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. The National Agricultural Development Fund (NADFUND) has also reached out to us to train female farmers in each State and FCT.
“In Economic Empowerment, we have been working with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and HUAWEI Technologies,” she indicated, adding “I would like to seize this opportunity to express our appreciation to all public spirited individuals who have reached out to support our cause.
According to Tinubu, “It is also worthy of note that the unveiling of 200 Awardees under the AUDA NEPAD/RHI Scholarship Programme will take place on 1st of August, 2024.”