By Olagoke Olawepo (SIWES student, Gate Way Polytechnic)
Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago of Niger State is steadfast in his commitment to empower women and enhance their livelihoods.
This dedication was reiterated during a meeting with the Hazaka Women Affinity Group in Tufa Community, Gurara Local Government Area, which is one of the beneficiary groups of the Nigeria For Women Project, a World Bank-supported program aimed at improving women’s livelihoods.
Governor Bago has pledged an additional N1 billion in matching grants from the state government to ensure more women benefit from this initiative.
He also promised the construction of a modern rice processing mill to enable the women, primarily rice farmers, to process and mill their paddy rice.
Furthermore, the Governor assured the community that primary healthcare and vocational training centers would be established under the State Ministry of Education and Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management.
These centers would facilitate the off-take of paddy rice from the women for the Federal government’s School Feeding Programme and various other humanitarian services. All of these measures are designed to support and encourage women.
Aisha Ahmad, Rukayya Faruk, and Salamatu Ibrahim expressed their gratitude to both the state government and the World Bank for their invaluable support.
They shared how this initiative has empowered them, enabling them to become successful business owners and contributors to their families’ well-being as women and housewives.
