By Uba Abdullahi
Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has approved N149.2 million as counterpart funding for a partnership with the Aliko Dangote Foundation to empower 28,284 vulnerable women across the state.
The funding will enable each beneficiary to receive 20 financial shares, comprising 10 shares funded by the state government and another 10 provided by the foundation.
The programme covers Gombe’s 11 local government areas and 13 Local Council Development Areas aimed at promoting financial inclusion, wealth creation and poverty reduction among vulnerable women.
The Head of the Aliko Dangote Foundation, Zouera Yusuf, commended Yahaya for becoming the first governor in Nigeria to participate in the programme and fulfil the counterpart funding requirement.
Yusuf praised the state government’s commitment to improving the welfare of vulnerable groups, assuring that the foundation would sustain its partnership with the state to expand economic opportunities for women and their households.
To ensure transparency and effective implementation, the state government has inaugurated a multisectoral committee comprising representatives of the ministries of Finance and Economic Development, Women Affairs and Social Development, and Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction.
The committee is expected to coordinate the programme and ensure accountability in its implementation.
