BY BANYO TEMITAYO
ALIKO Dangote Foundation (ADF) has so far disbursed the sum of N3.924 billion to 392,490 women and youths across Kano, Jigawa, Kogi, Adamawa, Borno, Yobe, Lagos, Niger, Nasarawa, Sokoto and Katsina states as part of its microgrant programme.
Additionally, the Foundation has concluded plans to extend the disbursement of the micro grant program to Ogun, Osun, Kwara, Edo, Rivers, Anambra, Ebonyi and Bauchi states, as part of the next phase of the programme.
A breakdown of the disbursement shows that N880 million was distributed to 88,000 women in Kano State; 27,000 women received N270 million in Jigawa State; 22,000 women received N220 million in Kogi State; 31,500 women and youth collected N315 million in Adamawa; and 54,000 Women and youth got N540 million in Borno State.
Furthermore, 40,000 women received N400 million in Lagos; 25,000 women received N250 million in Niger; 13,000 received N130 million in Nasarawa; 23,990 women benefitted from the sum of N239.9 million in Sokoto; 34,000 women benefitted from N340 million in Katsina State; and 34,000 women and youth benefitted from N340 million in Yobe State.
The Foundation said in a statement on Sunday that, in some states, mobile phones and bank cards were added to the grant to start up or improve income generating activities as a delivery mechanism for the funds in partnership with the respective State and Local Governments and mobile money/bank operators.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, ADF, Zouera Youssoufou, was quoted as saying that the Board of the Foundation had already approved the next phase of disbursement of the grants across Ogun, Osun, Kwara, Edo, Rivers, Anambra, Ebonyi and Bauchi states.
She described the Aliko Dangote Foundation Micro-grant programme as a N10 billion programme designed to provide a N10,000 one-off grant to at least 1,000 vulnerable women, and in some cases, youths, in each of the 774 LGAs across Nigeria.
She said that the programme was being implemented in partnership with state governments who work with committees set up down the ward levels to ensure the appropriate beneficiaries are reached.
Youssoufou said the scheme provided recipients with a one-time, unconditional N10,000 cash grant to meet immediate household consumption and economic needs.
“As far as possible, participants also receive training tailored to bolster their income-generating activities which are critical for the welfare of millions of Nigerians. Beneficiaries of this programme are evenly selected from the target communities with primary consideration for vulnerable women, food distressed household with infant or children under-five year old, disabled, divorcees, widows with multiple dependents and extremely poor residents in these communities,” she said.
Recall that the programme is being implemented in partnership with State Governments to complement their economic empowerment and poverty reduction drive.
The Executive Governor of each state is tasked with setting up a committee to oversee the implementation of the programme alongside Aliko Dangote Foundation staff.
Since 2016, the Foundation automated the beneficiary enrolment and payment processes. In addition to the cash grants, beneficiaries were also given mobile phones and SIM cards by the Foundation.
In the last two states where the scheme was implemented, the Foundation partnered with a leading commercial bank to open bank accounts and provide ATM card for each beneficiary.
