Senatorial Candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) FCT senatorial aspirant, Dr Juliet Hasana-Moneme, has unveiled a women-focused economic empowerment agenda built around skills acquisition, access to credit and sustainable financing schemes.

Moneme said her priority, if elected to represent the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the Senate, would be to move beyond the distribution of one-off empowerment items and establish programmes capable of helping women build businesses and achieve long-term financial independence.

She made the commitment during a media engagement organised by the League of Anambra Journalists in Abuja (LAJA), where she outlined her plans for women and other vulnerable groups across the FCT. Blueprint reports

‘Hold me accountable’

Moneme challenged women across the six area councils of the FCT to hold her accountable for delivering on the promises if given the mandate.

“Every woman in the FCT should hold me accountable for women skills acquisition, for women empowerment, and for women access to credit facilities or grants that are available in the city,” she said.

The aspirant said she was particularly interested in ensuring that women were not merely beneficiaries of political empowerment programmes but were equipped with the skills, financing and support required to become economically productive.

According to her, sustainable empowerment should create opportunities for beneficiaries to grow their income and subsequently support others.

Database to drive empowerment programmes

Moneme also proposed the creation of a structured database covering communities across the FCT, saying effective empowerment programmes must begin with a proper understanding of the people and their needs.

She said the database would capture residents across the six area councils, wards and communities and provide useful information about their skills, needs and available opportunities.

According to her, such information would make it easier for government and other stakeholders to identify people who require assistance and connect them with relevant programmes.

She argued that without reliable data, empowerment interventions could continue to benefit only a fraction of the people they were designed to serve.

From handouts to revolving funds

A major component of Moneme’s proposed approach is the use of revolving funds to replace the culture of one-off handouts.

She said her experience with community initiatives had convinced her that simply giving people money or materials without a sustainable structure often produced limited long-term impact.

Under her proposed revolving fund model, beneficiaries would receive financial support to establish or expand businesses and subsequently repay the funds under agreed terms, allowing other women to benefit from the same pool.

The approach, she said, would create a cycle of empowerment capable of reaching more people over time.

“This is about creating a system where one person benefits today and, through repayment, another person can benefit tomorrow,” her proposal suggests.

Women, youths need opportunity, not just money

Moneme said her interactions with women and young people had reinforced her belief that economic empowerment should focus on unlocking people’s potential rather than merely providing temporary financial relief.

She said many residents already possessed skills and ideas capable of supporting sustainable livelihoods but lacked access to capital, training, markets and other opportunities needed to turn those abilities into viable enterprises.

She therefore proposed an approach that would link skills acquisition with access to financing and other forms of support.

The aspirant said the objective would be to ensure that women who receive training also have a realistic pathway to deploy their skills economically.

Six area councils in focus

With the FCT comprising six area councils, Moneme said her proposed data-driven approach would allow interventions to be tailored to the realities of different communities.

Rather than adopting a uniform empowerment model, she said the needs of residents should determine the type of support provided.

Some beneficiaries, she noted, may require vocational training, while others may need access to credit, grants, education or support to expand existing businesses.

She said a comprehensive database would help identify these differences and ensure available opportunities were directed to people who needed them most.

A different approach to constituency projects

Moneme also linked her proposed empowerment agenda to the way constituency interventions should be designed.

She argued that constituency projects should not be reduced to periodic distribution of cash or items, but should be structured around programmes that continue to produce benefits after the initial intervention.

For women, she said this could involve a combination of vocational training, access to credit, business support and mentorship.

Such interventions, she maintained, would have a greater impact on household incomes and community development than short-term handouts.

The PRP aspirant’s proposal places economic empowerment at the centre of her campaign message as she seeks to secure the party’s ticket and ultimately represent the FCT in the Senate.

She said her ambition was to help create an environment where women and young people could convert their skills and ideas into sustainable livelihoods, rather than remain dependent on government assistance.

Moneme urged residents to judge political aspirants not only by the promises they make during campaigns but by the sustainability and practical impact of the programmes they propose.

Her proposed women empowerment model, she said, would be anchored on skills, access to finance, reliable data and a revolving system designed to ensure that empowerment reaches more beneficiaries over time.