The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has launched the Renewed Hope Initiative – Women Agricultural Support Programme (RHI-WASP) simultaneously in four zones of the federation: the Southwest, the Northcentral, the Northeast, and the Northwest. She said the initiative was taken to boost agriculture and further empower women farmers in the country. During the launch of the Southwest zone of the programme on June 12 at the Cultural Centre in Abeokuta, Ogun State, the First Lady also gave N100,000 each to 100 physically challenged entrepreneurs to boost their businesses.
Mrs. Tinubu presented cheques of N10 million to each of the six states in the Southwest – Ogun, Lagos, Osun, Oyo, Ondo, and Ekiti for onward disbursement to the beneficiary – 120 women farmers selected across the states. The beneficiaries are women involved in animal husbandry, poultry farming, and fish farming. The First Lady said: “The administration of President Bola Tinubu recognizes the pivotal role agriculture plays in achieving sustainable development and ensuring food sufficiency. Therefore, the Renewed Hope Initiative’s commitment to supporting women farmers nationwide aligns with the broader agenda to strengthen the agricultural sector. Today, we are supporting 20 women per state in the Southwest with N500,000 each. To this end, a draft cheque of N10 million per state will be handed over to the first ladies who are the coordinators of this programme in each of the Southwest states for disbursement to the beneficiaries.” She urged the beneficiaries to expand their farming entrepreneurship, improve their contribution to national and local food production and serve as role models to aspiring women in the country.
