Arewa initiative empowers 75 women in Benue

The Arewa Development Support Initiative (ADSI) has empowered 75 women in Benue State with loans to improve their businesses.

The state’s Coordinator of ADSI, Chief Mrs Esther Ogaero, while addressing the beneficiaries yesterday in Makurdi, said the idea was meant to impact on the womenfolk considering the present economic challenges in the country.

Mrs Ogaero said that the initiative, a brain child of the National President, Hajiya Khuraira Musa, sought the inclusion of women in financial access to better their living conditions.

She said, “Access to credit is a key link between economic opportunity and economic outcome. By empowering individuals and families to cultivate economic opportunities, financial inclusion can be a powerful agent for strong and inclusive growth.”

Also speaking, the state’s Supervising Trustee, Mrs Salome Gar, explained that the organisation reached out to beneficiaries without drawing boundaries on their religious or ethnic identities.

She added that plans were underway to train interested people on skills acquisition so that they could earn money for themselves.

On his part, Ben Gar, an official of ADSI, disclosed that the beneficiaries were given a total of N1.5m.