Soludo's wife empowers 1,085 with funds to grow their businesses

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Mrs. Soludo empowering a lady with disability

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By Madu Obi

The wife of the governor of Anambra State, Dr. Nonye Soludo has given financial assistance to 1,085 women of the state to enable them to grow their businesses.

The women, who are mostly petty traders, carry out their businesses in open places and usually find it difficult to expand.

Addressing the women, Mrs Soludo observed that they are the pillars of their families, adding that they bear the bigger brunt of financial pressure in their homes.

She said: “The idea of this empowerment programme is to support your business, so that you can do better and support your families more.

We know that most of you are petty traders, but if you apply the funds we are giving you now to your business and apply due diligence, you will excel.

It is a continuation of Mr Governor's policy of uplifting the lives of Anambra people. To uplift 1,085 women at a go is not a small thing and I urge all those who were empowered to use the money judiciously to the benefit of their families.

If you use the money well, those who sponsored this empowerment will be happy to empower more women and by so doing, the level of poverty will drastically reduce in our communities.

I also urge people who are blessed in one way or the other to embark on similar empowerment programmes in their areas to support what government is doing."

Mrs Soludo informed the people that she will soon start distributing seedlings to people to plant so as to produce more food.

She added: "Ninety percent of our sicknesses are caused by the type of food we eat. So, people should endeavour to grow what they eat for healthy living. We have already started farms in schools".

Mrs Soludo announced that the empowerment programme was done in collaboration with the renowned oil magnate, Prince Arthur Eze and Jim Martin Nwabueze, who provided part of the funds.

She said the state also runs similar economic empowerment opportunities through the Anambra Small Business Agency (ASBA), explaining the opportunities are open to small and medium scale business cooperative groups in the form of low-interest business and agricultural loans/grants.

"The empowerment programme is complementing what the state government is doing in human capital development , like the employment of 8115 teachers, over 1000 health workers, digital training for over 30,000 youths, empowerment of 5,000 youths under the One Youth Two Skills Programme, with over 8,000 more to be empowered soon this year, the free education policy in government-owned schools, free antenatal care and delivery services", she added.

She appealed to them to help in advocacy of ending malnutrition in Anambra State by referring parents whose children have signs of malnutrition to Primary Healthcare Centers, PHC, around them, adding that the supplements provided at the PHCs is 100 percent free.