The Dangote Foundation has set a target to empower about 774,000 Nigerian women at the rate of at least 1,000 women in each of the 774 local government areas across the nation. The foundation, according the chairman, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has earmarked grants in excess of N10 billion for ths purpose designed to support existing government’s poverty eradication efforts.

He disclosed this while flagging off the fondation’s grassroots poverty alleviation scheme in Adamawa and Yobe states with the disbursement of N655 million to 65,000 vulnerable women and youths in the two states.

The disbursement which is aimed at alleviating poverty by empowering the grassroots dwellers financially would ensure 31,500 women and youths across 21 local government areas in Adamawa State will benefit from a grant totalling N315 million while 34,000 people from Yobe state will benefit from N340 million.

Dangote said the initiative was embarked upon to address concerns over widespread poverty amongst women and youth at the grassroots, empowering them with funds to undertake petty trading which would help reduce youth unrest and other social vices among the women. The initiative has already been successfully implemented across Kano, Bauchi, Kaduna, Kogi and Gombe.

“This is one of the goals of Dangote Foundation’s Community Development Services,” Dangote stated, adding: “Supporting women requires bold and sustainable initiatives and we have chosen to partner with state governments to support women, because, as in other developing countries, they bear the burden of the basic unit of the society and investing in them would not only help meet the basic needs of the community but spur economic development.”

Dangote further called for the revival of the agricultural sector by the Nigerian Government through meaningful investments and promoting policies that would encourage farming as a potential weapon against poverty. He noted that agriculture has capacity to engage more Nigerians and give the nation much sought after foreign earnings much more than oil.

Yobe State Governor, Ibrahim Gaidam, commended Dangote Foundation for the gesture and urged other corporate organisations and well-endowed individuals to emulate the philanthropic work for a better Nigeria.

•Photo shows Aliko Dangote.