21st May, 2025
In a renewed drive to promote grassroots enterprise, Dangote Cement Plc has empowered women entrepreneurs in host communities of Gboko, Benue State, with business grants worth N100,000 each, aiming to boost local commerce and reduce poverty among rural households.
Speaking at the disbursement ceremony in Gboko, the Group Head of Social Performance at Dangote Cement Plc, Mr Wakeel Olayiwola, explained that the grant initiative targets women with viable small businesses to help them scale their ventures and impact their communities positively.
“This scheme is about giving women the capital they need to grow. When women succeed in business, they invest in their families—education, healthcare, and well-being. That’s how communities begin to thrive,” Olayiwola said.
He added that the grants, which are non-repayable, are designed to reduce economic dependence on spouses and increase women’s financial autonomy. Beneficiaries were drawn from Quarry, Tse-Kucha, Amua, Mbazembe, Mbatur, and Pass Brothers communities, with support from local leaders and the Dangote Community Consultative Committee.
Olayiwola emphasized that the company would track the progress of each beneficiary to ensure the funds are properly utilized.
Acting Plant Director, Engr Munusamy Murugan, represented by Engr Tavershima Soom, disclosed that the programme would now be an annual initiative, adding that more empowerment schemes such as farmers’ support and youth skill acquisition are also in the pipeline.
Head of Social Performance at the Gboko Plant, Mr Johnson Kor, urged community representatives to support and promote the company’s efforts, stressing that Dangote Cement remains committed to improving livelihoods in its host communities.
One of the beneficiaries, Ruth Ikyowe Tser, 37, said she would use the grant to boost her cassava farming business. Another recipient, Mrs Vishigh Comfort Msurshiona, 39, noted that the funds would help expand her commodity trade.
The initiative follows earlier gestures by the company, including a more than 100 percent increase in bursary payments to students in the same host communities, and is part of a broader commitment under the Community Development Agreement signed between the company and local stakeholders.
