No fewer than 100 women petty traders have received a total of 10 million naira as empowerment capital to boost their businesses in Abuja. The women who were drawn up from different locations in the Federal Capital Territory each received a hundred thousand naira as grant to invest in their businesses.

The grant presentation was organized by the Frugal Empowerment Foundation, a non-governmental organization that has its presence in four countries ? Nigeria, UK, Greece and Zambia ? and that is operational in eighteen states of Nigeria. The empowerment program was organized under the Foundation?s Small Business Empowerment (SBE) scheme which was officially kick-started in 2019.

Speaking at the event, the founder of the organization, Mr. Peter Osezua, also known as Mr. Frugal, stated that the empowerment program was targeted at vulnerable communities, particularly women, who do not have anyone to support their business and investment dreams.

?This project is basically targeted at women who are struggling financially to set up a business or who have only minimal capital to run a business. So, we are releasing grants to them to boost their existing business and to start up new ones,? said Osezua.

Osezua who is based in London, further stated that since the inception of his Foundation in 2017, it has directly interfaced with over two million communities across the globe and empowered more than 500 women in Nigeria, adding that his organization prides in alleviating poverty and giving hope to the hopeless and downtrodden.

Also speaking at the event was the Special Adviser to the chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) on Women Affairs, Mrs. Esther Tawasimi, who disclosed that the event was her first ever of meeting with a large number of people who were not politicians but market women and petty traders, adding that her principal is very keen about lifting low-income and middle-income earners out of financial distress.

?Interacting with market women and petty traders is a passion my chairman has; to reach out to that common woman that does not even have any hope of surviving but that is doing her business,? stated Tawasimi.

She further stated that AMAC runs its own special scheme through which it empowers women in the areas of fashion designing, fish farming and catering, adding that the Council will be empowering 300 women in December this year.

?Presently, we are empowering 300 women this December. We have two sections for the youths and for the women, 300 for each section. We are to look for young girls who want to learn ICT and empower them,? stated Tawasimi.

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