AWKA, NIGERIA – The city of Awka was electrified with hope and celebration yesterday, August 6, 2025, as 1,000 female entrepreneurs received a life-changing financial boost.
In a powerful display of collaborative support, the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, through her Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), and the wife of the Anambra State Governor, Dr. Nonye Soludo, disbursed a total of N50 million in business recapitalization grants.
The event, held at the Light House in Awka, was initially slated to empower 500 women, including petty traders and physically challenged individuals from all 21 local government areas, with a N50,000 grant each. This was made possible by a partnership between the First Lady’s RHI and the Tony Elumelu Foundation.
However, in a dramatic and well-received announcement, Dr. Nonye Soludo declared she would personally match the gesture, doubling the number of beneficiaries on the spot.
“To support our President’s wife in her exceptional gesture, I have also added an additional 500 people to be presented with a similar sum of N50,000 each, bringing the total number of beneficiaries to 1,000 in Anambra state,” she announced to a jubilant crowd.
Delivering the keynote address, Dr. Soludo stressed that the grant was a direct investment in the resilience and entrepreneurial spirit of Anambra’s women. She powerfully clarified the nature of the support.
“Let me emphasize that this is not a loan! It is a grant and a seed of Renewed Hope Initiative to help recapitalize existing businesses,” she stated. “It is my firm belief that when you empower a woman, you empower a household, a community and indeed a nation.”
The program is part of a larger national effort funded by a landmark N1 billion donation from the Tony Elumelu Foundation to the Renewed Hope Initiative, aimed at supporting 18,500 women across all 36 states and the FCT.
In an address read on her behalf by Dr. Soludo, the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, expressed her profound gratitude to Governor Professor Charles Soludo and his wife for their support in executing RHI’s programs in the state.
Further demonstrating her healthy living campaign, the governor’s wife also organized free medical screenings for all beneficiaries in attendance, ensuring their health and well-being were prioritized including distributing free seedlings to encourage backyard garden and curb food inflation in the state.
