No fewer than 1,000 women traders in Osun State have received a total of ₦50 million in grants from the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, under the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI) to boost their petty businesses.
The beneficiaries, drawn from markets across the state, received the grants during a distribution ceremony held in Iwo on Tuesday.
Representing the First Lady at the event, the wife of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Osun State, Alhaja Sekinat Oyebamiji, said the intervention was part of the Renewed Hope Initiative’s efforts to empower women economically and improve the welfare of families.
She urged the beneficiaries to invest the funds wisely in expanding their businesses, stressing that the programme was designed to strengthen small-scale enterprises and promote economic self-reliance.
Mrs. Oyebamiji said an APC-led administration in Osun, if elected in the August 15 governorship election, would prioritise the growth of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) through grants, soft loans, business-friendly policies and entrepreneurship development programmes.
According to her, empowering small business owners remains one of the fastest ways to stimulate local economies, create jobs and reduce unemployment.
She added that the APC governorship candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji (AMBO), is committed to creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive and would complement the Federal Government’s economic reforms with programmes tailored to the needs of residents of the state.
In his remarks, the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, lauded the initiative, describing it as a timely intervention that would improve the livelihoods of many families.
The monarch also called for increased government investment in Iwo and the entire Osun West Senatorial District to accelerate economic development in the area.
