The Bank of Agriculture (BOA) has partnered with the Benue State government to give out grants and soft loans to 27,600 women as part of efforts at ensuring women become self reliant.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the state Commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs Joy Luga, in an interview with newsmen on Monday in Makurdi, said the beneficiaries would be selected from across the 23 local government areas of the state.
Luga said Governor Hyacinth Alia has been making effort at ensuring that women in the state receive all the support to excel.
She said the women would receive training in various skills after which they would be grouped under various cooperatives societies in order to access loans ranging between N100,000 and N200,000.
The commissioner further said the state government intends to include rural women in the programme, in line with the governor’s strategic development plan and message of the 2024 International Women’s Day.
Luga listed the vocations in which the beneficiaries would be trained to include fashion/hair designing, beads making, beauty and cosmetics, soap, detergent making, ICT training, among others.
“At our own level here in the Ministry of Agriculture, Cooperatives and Rural Development, we have mapped out modalities on how to empower the women in the society.
“We have trained women in cooperatives and associations to give them soft loans that will lift them from the poor level they are to at least a higher level that they can stand and say they are living better than they were before.
“We have trained them in various areas and we are about giving money to them any moment from now.
“The Governor of Benue State, Reverend Fr. Hyacinth Alia, is not relenting and has ensured that money is available to be disbursed to the women.”
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