By Magnus Chukwudi, Port Harcourt<\/p>\n
No fewer than 1,000 women across the 23 local government areas of Rivers State have benefited from the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) Women Economic Empowerment Programme, receiving small business recapitalisation grants aimed at expanding their ventures, supporting their families, and strengthening local communities.<\/p>\n
The empowerment scheme, implemented in collaboration with the Tony Elumelu Foundation, and supported by the Rivers State Government, was officially launched at the Banquet Hall of Government House, Port Harcourt on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The RHI Women Economic Empowerment Programme is part of a broader national initiative targeting 18,500 women across Nigeria\u2019s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony, Nigeria\u2019s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, represented by wife of the Rivers State Governor, Lady Valerie Siminalayi Fubara, explained that the financial support was a grant, not a loan, intended to strengthen women-owned businesses.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach beneficiary will receive \u20a650,000 to recapitalize her business,\u201d she said. \u201cThis grant is not to be repaid. a When you empower a woman, you empower a household, a community, and c
\nSenator Tinubu expressed appreciation to the Tony Elumelu Foundation for its \u20a61 billion donation to the programme, which has made the grants available to more women across the country.<\/p>\n
Lady Valerie Fubara highlighted the Rivers State Government\u2019s ongoing efforts in supporting families through agricultural, economic, and educational initiatives, describing them as complementary to the RHI\u2019s empowerment goals.<\/p>\n
She urged the beneficiaries to use the funds wisely to grow their businesses and improve their families\u2019 livelihoods, commending Senator Tinubu for her vision and compassion.<\/p>\n
\u201cSenator Oluremi Tinubu has shown remarkable dedication to uplifting women,\u201d Lady Valerie Fubara said. \u201cHer leadership continues to inspire positive change across the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said her husband and Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, is showing more support for the programme and has increased the number of beneficiaries in the State from 500 to 1,000, as a demonstration of his administration\u2019s commitment to economic inclusion.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis Excellency believes that empowerment must be value-targeted,\u201d Lady Valerie Fubara added. \u201cI also urge you, recipients, to utilize the proceeds from this partnership to support beneficial ventures that will make for economic improvements in your families.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rivers State Deputy Governor, Prof. Ngozi Ordu, commended both Senator Tinubu and Lady Valerie Siminalayi Fubara for complementing the state government\u2019s development efforts, and urged the beneficiaries to make judicious use of their grants.<\/p>\n
Also speaking at the event, Justice Mary Odili (rtd) applauded the Renewed Hope Initiative for creating opportunities that uplift citizens across sectors, noting the overwhelming turnout as a testament to the programme\u2019s impact.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe joy on the faces of these women today shows how deeply this empowerment has touched lives,\u201d she remarked.<\/p>\n
In her welcome address, State Coordinator, RHI, Hon Tonye Briggs-Oniyide, said that the women beneficiaries have been selected through a meticulous and transparent process from across the 23 local government areas, thanking them for their resilience and support to the government.<\/p>\n
She charged the beneficiaries to make good use of the grant so as to enhance the economic prosperity of their families and communities.<\/p>\n
Highlights of the event were the presentation of the grants to the beneficiaries by Lady Valerie Siminalayi Fubara, and free medical outreach that provided attendees with essential health checks and treatments. ###.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Magnus Chukwudi, Port Harcourt No fewer than 1,000 women across the 23 local government areas of Rivers State have benefited from the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) Women Economic Empowerment Programme, receiving small business recapitalisation grants aimed at expanding their ventures, supporting their families, and strengthening local communities. The empowerment scheme, implemented in collaboration with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4767,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[4936,4935],"class_list":["post-7788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion","tag-recapitalisation","tag-receiving-small-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7788","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7788"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7788\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7789,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7788\/revisions\/7789"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyechoes.ng\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}