The Federal Government on Thursday began the disbursement of N20,000 grant to rural women in Bauchi State for them to start small businesses with a view to alleviating their sufferings.

While flagging off the disbursement in Azare, the headquarters of Katagum Local Government Area of the state, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Farouq, informed that over 150,000 beneficiaries across the 36 states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) would benefit from the programme.

The grant, which she said was meant for rural women in the country, according to the minister was introduced in 2020 by her ministry as part of President Muhammadu Buhari’s social inclusion and poverty reduction agenda.

Represented by the Deputy Director Humanitarian Affairs in the ministry, Dr. Abubakar Suleiman, Farouq explained that the programmes is meant as part of President Buhari’s efforts aimed at lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.

According to her, the cash disbursement is designed to provide a one-off grant to some of the poorest and most vulnerable women in rural Nigeria.

The minister added that it is also meant to boost beneficiaries’ income, enhance their food security as well as enable them contribute towards improving their standard of living.

“A grant of N20,000 will be disbursed to over 150,000 poor rural women across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

“The grant is expected to increase access to financial capital required for economic activities.

“It is our hope that the beneficiaries of this programme will make good use of the opportunity to increase their income, enhance their food security and generally contribute towards improving their living standard,” the minister said.

Farouq declared optimism that with the complementary effort of the Bauchi State governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, beneficiaries of the grant would be on their way out of poverty to prosperity.

According to her, “I am optimistic that with support and cooperation of Your Excellency and other stakeholders present here, we can lift 100 million out of poverty by 2030.”

The Humanitarian Affairs Minister informed no fewer than 54,738 poor and vulnerable households drawn from 16 local government areas of the state have benefitted so far from the Federal Government’s Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme.

She informed that since September 2016, the beneficiaries, who are receiving N5,000 monthly under the CCT programme, have so far received about N3 billion.

NE