Fidelity Bank, GIFA Empower 300 Akwa Ibom Women with N25m Grants, Business Equipment

The Coordinator of the Office of the First Lady of Akwa Ibom State, Lady Helen Eno Obareki, has said the empowerment of 300 women by the Patience Umo Eno Golden Initiative for All (GIFA), in partnership with Fidelity Bank Plc, will boost the number of women impacted by the initiative to about 7,000. Obareki stated this on Thursday in Uyo during the Give Her Power Outreach and GIFA women empowerment programme.

She expressed gratitude to Fidelity Bank for supporting the programme with N25 million in cash, 50 sewing machines, 50 grinding machines and 500 bags of food items. She also thanked Mrs Pamela Shodipo, Executive Director, South, Fidelity Bank Plc, Mrs Kufre Etim, Regional Bank Head, Akwa Ibom/Cross River, and members of the bank's executive team for facilitating the empowerment.

Obareki recalled that when her mother, the late Pastor Patience Umo Eno, envisioned GIFA, she was guided by the belief that the true measure of a society's progress was reflected in the dignity, independence and well-being of its women. She said GIFA was established not merely for speeches but to deliver measurable and life-changing interventions to families and communities. According to her, through its programmes across eight thematic areas, GIFA has taken practical assistance directly to rural communities.

Obareki described the empowerment as a decisive turning point for female entrepreneurship across the state's 31 Local Government Areas. She said GIFA's programmes were firmly rooted in the vision of the state's "He-for-She Champion," Governor Umo Bassey Eno, and the ARISE Agenda of his administration. She said investments in economic development, agricultural revolution and rural development had provided a blueprint for the state's prosperity, adding that GIFA was proud to contribute to the realisation of the vision.

The First Lady-designate said women were central drivers of Akwa Ibom's economic growth and therefore deserved the necessary support to thrive. She said the empowerment package was structured to support beneficiaries in different areas of trade and commerce. According to her, 100 women in the tailoring and fashion industry will receive sewing machines, while another 100 will receive grinding machines to support agricultural processing and other commercial activities. She added that 20 beneficiaries would receive financial empowerment alongside Point-of-Sale (POS) machines, while another 80 would receive cash grants.

Obareki said the machines and grants were not mere gifts or souvenirs but instruments of economic empowerment. "When a woman or trader gets access to commercial food-processing equipment, professional sewing machines and Point-of-Sale machines, her work changes completely. She stops struggling to survive from day to day and steps into real business expansion," she said. She urged the beneficiaries to regard the machines and grants as capital, guard them jealously and use them diligently to grow their businesses. Obareki also encouraged them to empower other women when their businesses became successful. She said the beneficiaries were selected from thousands of applicants because of their determination, vision and proven passion for what they do. She charged them to apply the financial management skills they had acquired and ensure that their businesses grew.

Also speaking, Mrs Pamela Shodipo, Executive Director, South, Fidelity Bank Plc, said the bank was delighted to partner GIFA and the Office of the First Lady to contribute to the empowerment of women, strengthening of families and development of communities. Shodipo said the partnership was a declaration of the bank's belief in the resilience, creativity, enterprise and capacity of Akwa Ibom women to transform their lives and those around them. "At Fidelity Bank, we believe that empowerment is about giving people the tools, capital, opportunities and confidence to turn their potential into possibilities and their possibilities into prosperity. That is the philosophy behind our Give Her Power Initiative, and it is why we are delighted to partner with GIFA and the Office of the First Lady of Akwa Ibom on this important programme," she said.

The executive director said empowering a woman went beyond supporting an individual, as it also strengthened families, educated children, created businesses and jobs and contributed to economic growth. She said Fidelity Bank was supporting the programme with 50 sewing machines and 50 grinding machines, as well as 500 bags of food items through its Fidelity Food Bank Initiative and N25 million in financial support for the GIFA Economic Women Empowerment Programme. Shodipo said the items were not merely machines, food items and financial resources but "instruments of possibility". She said a sewing machine could become a fashion business, while a grinding machine could provide a sustainable source of income, adding that the N25 million financial support could serve as working capital, inventory, business expansion and employment. She expressed the hope that the intervention would translate into successful businesses, stronger households, independent women, job creation and more prosperous communities.

Shodipo said the intervention was also part of Fidelity Bank's broader commitment to Akwa Ibom. She recalled that the bank recently commissioned a new branch on Grace Bill Road in Eket Local Government Area to expand its presence and increase access to financial services across the state. "Our decision to deepen our footprint in Akwa Ibom is deliberate because we see entrepreneurs who need capital, businesses ready to grow and young people with ideas, energy and ambition," she said. The executive director said the bank also recognised the contributions of farmers, traders, artisans, professionals and corporate organisations to the economic life of the state. "We want to be part of that story, not merely as a bank, but as a long-term partner in the economic development of Akwa Ibom," she said. Shodipo commended the Akwa Ibom Government for its commitment to economic development, social empowerment and inclusive growth through the ARISE Agenda. She also commended GIFA for its interventions in women empowerment and efforts to improve the lives of vulnerable people across the state.

Shodipo urged the beneficiaries to regard the support as a vote of confidence and use the equipment and funds to establish and expand their businesses. She encouraged them to empower other women when their businesses became successful, stressing that the greatest measure of empowerment was not simply what one received but what one created and helped others to create. The executive director said Fidelity Bank was committed to ensuring that the intervention produced sustainable businesses and pledged the bank's continued partnership with the state.