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Fidelity Bank Plc has doled out an N25m business grant to empower 300 women in Akwa Ibom State through a strategic partnership with Give Her Power and the Golden Initiative For All (GIFA), according to the Coordinator, Office of the First Lady of Akwa Ibom State, Mrs Helen Eno Obareki.
The bank also supported the Office of the First Lady to empower Akwa Ibom women with 50 grinding machines, 50 sewing machines and 500 bags of foodstuffs to support small-scale businesses across the state.
Speaking during the presentation of the cash grants and empowerment tools at Government House, Uyo, the Executive Director of Fidelity Bank, Mrs Pamela Shodipo, said the initiative was particularly significant as it enabled her to represent Fidelity Bank by contributing to the empowerment of women, strengthening families and developing communities in Akwa Ibom State.
Shodipo explained that the gesture 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.”
The executive director disclosed that empowering a woman went beyond supporting an individual, as it also strengthened families, educated children, created businesses and jobs, as well as contributed to economic growth.
“This came through Fidelity Food Bank Initiative and N25 million in financial support for the GIFA Economic Women Empowerment Programme.”
Shodipo described the items as not just machines, food and financial resources, but “instruments of possibility”, noting that a sewing machine could become a fashion business, while a grinding machine could provide a sustainable source of income.
She expressed hope that the intervention would translate into successful businesses, stronger households, independent women, job creation and more prosperous communities.
The executive director said the intervention was part of Fidelity Bank’s broader commitment to Akwa Ibom.
She recalled that the bank recently commissioned a new branch along Grace Bill Road in Eket Local Government Area to expand its presence and increase access to financial services in 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.
Shodipo said the bank also recognised the contributions of farmers, traders, artisans, professionals and corporate organisations to the state’s economy.
“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.
She 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’s empowerment and efforts to improve the lives of vulnerable people in the state.
Shodipo urged the beneficiaries to regard the items and funds as a vote of confidence and use them 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 what one received but what one created and helped others to create.
The executive director said Fidelity Bank was committed to ensuring that the interventions produced sustainable businesses and pledged the bank’s continued partnership with the state.
On her part, Lady Helen Eno Obareki, Coordinator, Office of the First Lady of Akwa Ibom, expressed gratitude to Fidelity Bank for the N25 million cash support, 50 sewing machines, 50 grinding machines and 500 bags of food items.
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Obareki also thanked Shodipo, the Regional Head of the bank in Akwa Ibom/Cross River, Mrs Kufre Etim, and the bank’s executive team for facilitating the empowerment.
She said the intervention would increase the number of women impacted by the Patience Umo Eno Golden Initiative for All (GIFA) to about 7,000.
Obareki said when her late mother, Her Excellency 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 to make speeches but to deliver measurable and life-changing interventions to families and communities.
According to her, the initiative had taken practical assistance directly to rural communities through its programmes across eight thematic areas.
She said the recent “GIFA at Your Doorstep” initiative provided business equipment and cash grants to small business owners in their homes and shops.
Obareki described the latest empowerment as a decisive step towards strengthening female entrepreneurship across the state’s 31 Local Government Areas.
She said the activities of GIFA were rooted in the vision of the state government’s ARISE Agenda, adding that investments in economic development, agricultural revolution and rural development would contribute to the state’s prosperity.
The First Lady-designate said women were central to the state’s economic growth and deserved the necessary support to thrive.
She said the empowerment package was designed to support women in different areas of trade and commerce.
According to her, 100 women in the tailoring and fashion industry would receive sewing machines, while another 100 would receive grinders 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 equipment and grants were intended to serve as instruments of economic empowerment rather than mere gifts or souvenirs.
She charged the beneficiaries to guard the equipment, use the grants wisely and apply the financial management and business skills they had acquired to grow their businesses.
She also encouraged them to support other women as their businesses prospered.
“To the 300 beneficiaries gathered here, these machines and grants are your tools of liberation. They belong to you, but the success they will yield belongs to your families and our entire state.
“Do not see them as mere gifts; see them as capital. Guard them jealously, work with them diligently, and let your testimonies inspire the next woman in line.
“You were selected from thousands of applicants because of their determination, vision and passion for their businesses.
“Office of the First Lady, through GIFA, would continue to support and monitor your progress.”
