500 Anambra Women Receive Business Equipment Through SDGs, RHI Empowerment Programme

By Our Reporter

AWKA — Five hundred women in Anambra State have received business equipment under a joint empowerment initiative of the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), in a move aimed at strengthening livelihoods and expanding women’s participation in economic activities.

The beneficiaries, drawn from various vulnerable groups, received productive assets including deep-chest freezers, maxi gas cookers with ovens, generators and industrial grinding machines, among other items.

The intervention, which took place in Awka, formed part of the nationwide rollout of the SDGs/RHI Women Empowerment Programme across the five South-East states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo.

Rather than focusing solely on financial assistance, the programme is designed to provide women with tools they can immediately deploy to establish new businesses or expand existing enterprises.

Speaking through the First Lady of Anambra State, Dr. Nonye Soludo, Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, said the initiative was targeted at advancing economic inclusion and helping more women achieve financial independence.

She said the programme was consistent with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which places emphasis on inclusive economic growth and sustainable development.

According to her, investing in women’s economic capacity also supports the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 5, which focuses on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, and SDG 8, which promotes decent work and economic growth.

The First Lady commended the Anambra State Government and the wife of the governor for their support for programmes of the Renewed Hope Initiative in the state.

Earlier, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, represented by a senior official of her office, said the selection of beneficiaries was designed to prioritise women facing significant economic vulnerability.

She listed among them widows, wives of fallen heroes, indigent women and other vulnerable women who have the willingness to work but lack the productive assets needed to improve their economic circumstances.

She stressed that the intervention should be viewed beyond the distribution of equipment.

“The objective is not merely to distribute equipment, but to provide productive assets capable of unlocking potential, fostering economic independence and creating opportunities for women to thrive.”

The programme, she explained, was intended to help beneficiaries build sustainable sources of income while strengthening their capacity to contribute to their families and communities.

Also speaking, the Secretary to the Anambra State Government, Mrs. Chiamaka Nnake, and the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Esther Onyekesi, commended the collaboration between the Federal Government and the state government.

They urged the beneficiaries to ensure that the equipment was put to productive use, stressing that the real measure of the intervention would be its ability to generate sustainable businesses, increase household incomes and improve living standards.

For the beneficiaries, the intervention represents more than the value of the equipment received.

They expressed appreciation to the First Ladies for the initiative, saying the support would enable them to strengthen their businesses, create new income streams and move closer to economic self-reliance.

The programme therefore places the beneficiaries at the centre of a broader development objective: turning targeted government intervention into sustainable livelihoods, stronger households and greater economic participation for women in Anambra State.

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