The Chijioke Chukwu Foundation has disbursed N4 million to 20 women in Ugwueke, Bende Local Government Area of Abia State, as business support grants. Each beneficiary received N200,000 during the annual August Women's Meeting held at Ugwueke Secondary School. The foundation, led by the Abia State chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon. Chijioke Chukwu, described this as the second batch of its N50 million endowment fund.
Empowerment Programme Details and Expansion Plans
Chukwu explained that the empowerment programme aims to improve the economic well-being of women and provide financial support for their businesses. He noted that the foundation would distribute grants twice yearly, and that more than 300 women in Ugwueke also receive a monthly stipend of N5,000. The APC chairman said the programme would continue as long as he remained financially capable of funding it, and that men would be included in the next phase of the initiative.
Chukwu, a former lawmaker, also urged the women to support APC candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections. He lamented what he described as the rejection of the APC in the last election and said the party had attracted development projects to the Bende Federal Constituency. According to him, the projects include road construction, renovation of school blocks, and installation of solar-powered facilities.
Additional Support and Political Context
The Deputy Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, Benjamin Kalu, commended Chukwu for the initiative and pledged N10 million in additional support for the women. Kalu also highlighted some of his interventions in the National Assembly, saying they were focused on improving the welfare and living conditions of constituents in Bende.
The latest grant distribution adds to growing grassroots empowerment initiatives in Abia as political parties and their leaders position themselves ahead of the 2027 general elections. The APC chairman said the empowerment initiative was separate from the broader development projects he attributed to the party's interventions in the constituency.
Related Development: FirstBank's Women-Preneur Support
In a similar development, FirstBank awarded N10 million in grants to female business owners through its inaugural Spark A Gem Challenge, a competition run under the bank's Women-Preneur Pitch-a-Ton programme. The competition drew 356 applications from women entrepreneurs operating across multiple sectors, including agriculture, healthcare, education, food processing, and hospitality. Eight finalists were selected and enrolled in a four-day entrepreneurial development programme.
