By Muh'd Shafi'u Saleh In a bold move to promote women’s entrepreneurship in Nigeria, Dangote Cement Plc has empowered w...
By Muh'd Shafi'u Saleh
In a bold move to promote women’s entrepreneurship in Nigeria, Dangote Cement Plc has empowered women in host communities across Benue State with cash grants, thereby deepening grassroots economic activities in the region.
The women empowerment initiative follows Dangote Cement’s recent increase of over 100 percent in bursary payments to students from its host communities in Gboko.
Speaking during the ceremony on Wednesday in Gboko, Group Head of Social Performance at Dangote Cement Plc, Mr. Wakeel Olayiwola, said:
“Through this scheme, selected women entrepreneurs in our host communities will receive ₦100,000 grants each to strengthen and expand their businesses. The financial support aims to boost local enterprise development, empowering female business owners with capital to scale operations.”
He explained that each beneficiary is expected to use the funds to meet specific business needs such as purchasing inventory or upgrading equipment—actions that will create tangible economic impacts in their communities.
“When women succeed in business, they invest in their families’ education, health, and well-being. This breaks the cycle of poverty and creates a ripple effect of positive change in their communities,” he said.
Mr. Olayiwola noted that the grant is non-repayable and is intended to reduce over-reliance on spouses while enabling women to generate sustainable income for their families.
He further disclosed that traditional leaders from Quarry, Tse-Kucha, Amua, Mbazembe, Mbatur, and Pass Brothers communities—alongside the Dangote Community Consultative Committee (DCCC)—were responsible for identifying and selecting the beneficiaries.
It would be recalled that last year, Dangote Cement Plc signed a historic Community Development Agreement (CDA) with six host communities in Gboko, sparking widespread jubilation.
Mr. Olayiwola added that the company will closely monitor the progress of the beneficiaries to assess how the funds are being invested.
Also speaking at the event, Acting Plant Director, Engr. Munusamy Murugan, represented by Engr. Tavershima Soom, announced that the empowerment programme will be held annually.
He revealed that additional empowerment initiatives are in the pipeline, including a farmers’ support programme and a youth skills acquisition scheme.
In his remarks, Head of Social Performance at the Gboko Plant, Mr. Johnson Kor, urged community representatives to be ambassadors of the company’s development efforts. He emphasized that Dangote Cement Plc is committed to supporting its host communities in meaningful and sustainable ways.
Reacting to the gesture, a beneficiary, Ruth Ikyowe Tser, 37, said she would invest the grant into her cassava farming business and commended the company for the support.
Similarly, Mrs. Vishigh Comfort Msurshiona, 39, said she plans to grow her commodities trading business with the grant.
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