Idara Jerome, Uyo
Fidelity Bank Plc and the Golden Initiative For All (GIFA) have joined efforts to help women in Akwa Ibom build sustainable businesses, with N25 million and business equipment committed to the latest phase of the programme.
The initiative, unveiled in Uyo on Thursday, is supporting 300 women with sewing and grinding machines, financial assistance and food items. The beneficiaries are expected to use the resources to establish or expand businesses and create additional sources of income.
Chairperson of GIFA and Coordinator of the Office of the First Lady, Lady Helen Eno Obareki, said the latest intervention would bring the number of women reached by the initiative to about 7,000.
She said the support was intended to serve as productive capital rather than temporary relief, urging beneficiaries to protect the equipment and use the funds to grow enterprises capable of generating income and employment.
Obareki said 100 women were earmarked for sewing machines, another 100 for grinding machines, while 100 others would receive financial support, including POS machines and cash grants. She added that the distribution would be completed in phases for beneficiaries whose equipment was not available at the event.
Executive Director, South, Fidelity Bank Plc, Mrs Pamela Shodipo, said the bank’s participation was driven by its commitment to women’s economic empowerment and entrepreneurship.
Shodipo, who said the intervention was part of the bank’s Give Her Power Initiative, challenged the beneficiaries to turn the support into growing enterprises that could employ others.
She also reaffirmed Fidelity Bank’s long-term commitment to Akwa Ibom, citing its expanding presence in the state, including the recent commissioning of its Eket branch on Grace Bill Road.
