History was made in the ancient city of Sokoto yesterday, when Aliko Dangote, Chairman of Aliko Dangote Foundation and Africa’s richest man, flagged off a micro-grant scheme to empower and lift 23,990 poor and vulnerable women out of poverty across the 23 Local Government Areas in the state.
In another remarkable gesture, Dangote, fresh from a recent donation of two student hostels to the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Edo State, kicked off the Sokoto phase of a scheme targetted at empowering 774,000 women (1,000 women from each of the 774 Local Government Areas across Nigeria), at a whopping cost of N10 billion. So far, the sum of N3.345 billion has been disbursed by the ADF to 334,500 women across Kano, Jigawa, Kogi, Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Lagos, Niger and Nasarawa States.
The President/CE of Dangote Industries Limited, ranked the 6th most charitable person in the world in 2018, was accompanied by the Executive Governor of Sokoto State, Rt. Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar, (represented by the Emir of Argungu, Alhaji Samaila Muhammad Mera), executive management of the Dangote Group, top dignitaries and traditional rulers in the State.
Speaking at the event, Dangote welcomed all to the official flag-off ceremony and disclosed that, “In Sokoto we are empowering 23,990 women, including those in the IDP camps in Rabah LGA. 1,000 vulnerable women were selected in each of your 23 LGAs. However due to the displacement of the community in Rabah, we have also included all eligible women in the IDP camp, totalling 1,990 women for Rabah LGA.
Addressing the governor in his remarks, he said, “The Micro-grants programme is one component of the Economic Empowerment pillar of the Aliko Dangote Foundation. We will provide the 23,990 vulnerable women identified by your selection committee, with a one-off, unconditional N10,000.00 cash grant to boost their household income. This we believe will help reduce their vulnerability and meet their livelihood needs.
Also speaking at the Sokoto state Zakat & WAQF (Endowment) Commission (SOZECOM) venue, Governor Tambuwal expressed appreciation to Dangote for the business mogul’s long-standing support and collaboration in the areas of Zakat, economic empowerment and in the fight against polio. He also applauded the decision by Dangote to increase the support to the Zakat Commission.
