•From left: State Coordinator, Renewed Hope Initiative/wife of Ekiti State Governor Dr. Olayemi Oyebanji; one of the beneficiaries, Mrs. Adola Ajayi and Assistant Director. Office of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Dr. Yayah Umaru, during the Renewed Hope Initiative Women Empowerment Programme in Ado-Ekiti…at the weekend
First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu at the weekend empowered 500 women in Ekiti State with business equipment, to boost their economic independence under the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), in collaboration with the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The distribution, held at Osuntokun Pavilion, Government House, Ado- Ekiti, featured the presentation of deep freezers, maxi gas cookers with ovens, industrial grinding machines and generators to beneficiaries carefully selected from the 16 local government areas of the state.
Represented by the wife of the governor of Ekiti State and RHI State Coordinator, Dr. Olayemi Oyebanji, Senator Tinubu said the programme was part of her vision to empower women across the country with the tools needed to enhance their businesses and create sustainable sources of income.
She said the empowerment drive was being held simultaneously in Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo states, with 500 women targeted in each.
She said the initiative, which began in February in Abuja, had reached thousands of women in the Northcentral and Southsouth, and would eventually benefit 18,500 women nationwide across the six geopolitical zones.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, represented by the Assistant Director, Policy and Strategy, Dr. Yahaya Umar, urged the beneficiaries to use the empowerment tools as a stepping stone toward financial independence and sustainable livelihood.
She said research had shown that women entrepreneurs played critical roles in poverty reduction, employment generation and family welfare, thereby contributing to economic growth.
Ekiti State Deputy Governor Monisade Afuye; Commissioner for Trade and Investment Mrs. Omotayo Adeola; and former Commissioner for Women Affairs Mrs. Peju Babafemi lauded the initiative as a deliberate step toward unlocking the potential of women, fostering self-reliance and creating economic opportunities at the grassroots level.
They said the programme would not only uplift individual households, but also contribute to the larger goal of driving local economic development and reducing unemployment in the state.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, the women expressed gratitude to Senator Tinubu, Office of the SDGs and Ekiti State Government, pledging to utilise the items. They described the gesture as timely, especially in the face of current economic challenges, and said the support would enable them to expand their businesses and provide better for their families.
The Renewed Hope Initiative is one of the flagship programmes of Senator Tinubu, designed to complement the Federal Government’s policies on poverty alleviation, women empowerment and sustainable development.
