First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, has flagged off the Renewed Hope Initiative Economic Empowerment programme for 1,000 women petty traders in Kogi State.

The programme is part of the commitment of the President’s wife to driving economic growth towards a better life for families, especially women across the country.

Flagging off the disbursement of the grants in Lokoja, the state capital, on Thursday, the First Lady revealed that a total of N1.85bn would be disbursed to the selected 1,000 Kogi women and 36,000 other female petty traders in other states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Tinubu, represented by the wife of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Fatima Abbas, noted that RHI was aware of the challenges being faced by Small and Medium Enterprises, especially the petty traders who form the backbone of the local economies.

Abbas added that the N50,000 business recapitalisation grant would go a long way in strengthening the beneficiaries