Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has launched the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) Women Economic Empowerment Programme in Cross River State, in collaboration with the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF).
The programme is aimed at boosting small businesses, with 500 women traders and entrepreneurs in the state receiving N50,000 each to support their enterprises.
Representing the First Lady at the event, the RHI State Coordinator and wife of the Cross River State Governor, Bishop Eyoanwan Otu, explained that the initiative is designed to strengthen households and communities through economic empowerment. “When you empower a woman, you empower a nation,” she said, while appreciating TEF for donating N1 billion to support women across the country.
She noted that 500 women from each of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory will benefit from the support, bringing the total to 18,500 women nationwide. “Thanks to the Tony Elumelu Foundation, which donated N1 billion to support 18,500 women nationwide, 500 women from each of the 36 states and the FCT will receive N50,000 each to revitalise their businesses,” she added.
Bishop Otu also commended Cross River State Governor, Senator Bassey Otu, for his consistent support of RHI programmes in the state.
A representative of the Tony Elumelu Foundation described the initiative as more than just financial support. He said it was a wider vision to transform women’s lives and strengthen the economy. “This initiative is not just a programme, it is a vision, a movement, and a clarion call to uplift the women of Nigeria. At the Tony Elumelu Foundation, we believe that when women are empowered, communities are transformed and nations prosper. We pledge our continued collaboration to ensure that women do not just survive but thrive,” he stated.
Also speaking, the Cross River Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Edema Irom, praised the initiative as a true reflection of the commitment of the First Lady to put smiles on the faces of market women and other vulnerable groups.
Some of the 500 beneficiaries in Cross River State received their N50,000 cash grants at the event and expressed gratitude to Senator Oluremi Tinubu and TEF for the intervention.