The Federal Government on Sunday began the disbursement of Rural Women Cash Grant Programme to elderly and indigent women in Anambra.
Hajiya Sadiya-Umar Farouk, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development inaugurated the programme in Awka on Sunday.
A total of 2,800 rural poor women were targeted to receive N20, 000 each under the programme.
Farouk, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr Bashir-Nuru Alkali, said the Cash Grant to rural women was addition to other social investment programme of the Federal Government.
The minister listed the other programme to include the Conditional Cash Transfer, N-Power and Government Enterprise Enhancement Programme (GEEP).
He said the programme was geared toward ameliorating the suffering of women by empowering them with cash that they could use to expand their businesses.
“Poverty reduction has become a major objective of governments all over the world; this informed the decision by President Muhammadu Buhari to initiate the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) as a strategy for reducing poverty and enhancing social inclusion.
“The Grant for Rural Women programme was introduced in 2020 to sustain the social inclusion agenda of Mr President, it is consistent with the President’s national vision of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.
“It is designed to provide a one-off grant to some of the poorest and most vulnerable women in rural and peri-urban areas of the country.
“A cash grant of N20,000 will be disbursed to about 125,000 poor women across the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
“Our target in Anambra State is to disburse the grant to about 2,800 beneficiaries across all Local Government Areas, this grant is expected to increase income and productive assets of target beneficiaries,” he said.
Minister expressed hopes that all the targeted beneficiaries of the grant would receive their money in a short period of time.
He urged the women to put the money as additional capital into their businesses and not for immediate consumption.
Mrs Ndidi Mezue, Commissioner for Social Welfare, Children and Women Affairs said the programme was starting off with 500 beneficiaries selected by the state government across the 21 Local Government Areas.
Mezue said the other 2,300 beneficiaries would receive their grants in no distant time.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the beneficiaries were jubilant upon receiving their cash grant.
Mrs Veronica Oraeki, a farmer who got the money, said it would go a long way to easing her suffering.
Another beneficiary, Mrs Angelina Nweke thanked President Buhari for the programme which she said impacted on her directly adding that she would invest it in her petty trade. (NAN)
