The Renewed Hope Initiative, RHI, of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has presented a N50m grant to an additional 1,000 petty traders in Kwara State.
Each trader will receive a sum of N50,000 to recapitalise their existing businesses, according to the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, in Ilorin on Tuesday during a three-day working visit to the state, where she commissioned some projects executed by Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq-led administration.
Speaking at the commissioning of the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA community ICT centre in Ilorin, named after former Minister Amina Ndalolo, Senator Oluremi Tinubu disclosed: “We had earlier empowered 1,000 women petty traders on August 22, 2024.”
“Under the RHI social investment programme, 250 elderly citizens were given a grant of N200,000 each on December 17, 2024, to celebrate the yuletide season.”
She also disclosed the release of N68.9m under the RHI agriculture programme for women and young farmers in the state through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
According to the First Lady: “The RHI, under its education programme, is collaborating with the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC, to build an alternative high school for girls in the state. This is to provide another opportunity to access education for girls and women who dropped out of school due to early pregnancies, child marriages, and other socio-economic reasons.”
Senator Oluremi Tinubu further disclosed that Kwara State has been nominated to benefit from the construction of a model early childhood care development education centre to be built in Ilorin, the state capital.
The First Lady congratulated the Director-General of NITDA, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, and his entire team for the commissioning of the second ICT centre and their impactful efforts in bridging the digital gap across the nation, as well as for their collaboration with the Renewed Hope Initiative.
“Other digital economy centres have also been fully equipped with computers and other ICT materials in five states, namely Jigawa, Ebonyi, Cross River, Oyo, Niger, and the Federal Capital Territory. Ten additional digital economy centres in Abia, Edo, Delta, Ondo, Kano, Katsina, Lagos, Nasarawa, Yobe, and Zamfara are also being fully equipped with ICT materials and will be ready for commissioning soon.
“The knowledge of ICT serves as a significant tool for empowering communities, especially women, enabling them to break traditional barriers and access new opportunities. By equipping themselves with ICT skills, women and girls can enhance their educational prospects, be self-reliant, participate in the global economy, and support their families.
“Therefore, today’s commissioning presents us with another opportunity under the mandate of the Ministry of Communication, Innovation, and Digital Economy to further expand digital access to our citizens by providing communities with the resources they require to develop ICT skills.
“This is in line with the priority area of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to accelerate economic diversification through industrialisation and digitisation,” she stated.