(Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni. Photo by Daily Trust)
The Yobe State Government has approved N460.83 million to empower female small business owners, including akara sellers, across the state.
The approval formed part of resolutions reached at the State Executive Council meeting presided over by Governor Mai Mala Buni at the Government House, Damaturu, on Thursday.
Briefing journalists after the meeting, the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Information and Culture, Abdullahi Bego, explained that the intervention is designed to support women in small-scale businesses through the provision of essential items to boost their livelihoods.
He disclosed that the council approved N460,828,450.00 for the procurement of beans to be distributed to female small business owners as empowerment support, alongside cooking oil, smokeless stoves, cooking utensils and kitchenware already procured and stored by the Ministry of Wealth Creation, Empowerment and Employment Generation.
He added that a total of 1,780 bags of beans, each weighing 50kg, would be distributed to beneficiaries.
According to Bego, the package forms part of the Buni administration’s broader efforts to improve the living conditions of women and strengthen small-scale enterprises across the state.
He further disclosed that the council approved N364.48 million for the procurement of 1,000 Yamaha GX 390 grinding machines for distribution to residents under the state’s empowerment programme, noting that the funds were approved under the Ministry of Wealth Creation for that purpose.
The commissioner also revealed that the Executive Council approved projects and services worth N73.32 billion across key sectors of the state’s economy, including N28.53 billion for the procurement of agricultural tools and implements for the state’s 2026 mega agricultural empowerment programme, N23.97 billion for two major road projects, as well as funding for housing, markets and other infrastructure projects.