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CBA Foundation Shares Food, Cash to Anambra Widows
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
As part of the New Year celebration, the Chinwe Bode-Akinwande (CBA) Foundation, a non-governmental organization in Nigeria, has put smiles on faces of some widows in Nnewi, Anambra State.
The event, which was held on Friday, January 1, 2021, had excited widows numbering over 55 going home with food-items and financial empowerment.
Speaking at the event, the founder of the NGO, Mrs Chinwe Bode-Akinwande, said the basis for diligently driving the foundation is derived from the passion and need to impact the lives of underprivileged widows who have gone through so much pain and discrimination and might have lost hope.
“We give hope to the hopeless. We are driven to support underprivileged widows to have a positive outlook on life despite the problems they experience by losing their loved one, mostly the breadwinner of the family.
“At the moment, we have over 1,200 authentic widows on our profile. The successes have been enormous, many women are now business owners and are able to not just fend for their families but are employers of labour. Over 40 children who had lost hope in education are back to school, through the payment of school fees as well as provision of stationeries. Twenty-six underprivileged widows through our medical intervention recovered from stroke.
“We have reached out to over 5,600 underprivileged widows and over 850 children through our International Widow’s Day outreaches since we started with food items, clothing, skill acquisition training, and financial empowerment to some selected and medical outreaches. We can go on and on but time wouldn’t permit me,” she said.
Mrs Bode-Akinwande added: “We have a long term expansion plan but what matters to us at CBA Foundation is our immediate environment.
“This indeed forms the basis for expanding our environment beyond Lagos, Ogun and Anambra which we currently cover. We are hopeful that more individuals and organisations will support us to spread across the country and beyond.”
At the Nnewi outreach, the widows expressed gratitude to the foundation as some were seen with smiles and relief on their faces.
According to Mrs Nwosu, one of the widows, a bitter kola and palm kernel trader, every market day, she goes to the town’s market society to borrow money to be able to buy and resell; she thereafter returns the money along with a part of the profit.
Mrs Nwosu was given a seed capital for bitter kola and palm kernel business by the CBA Foundation.
Mrs Nnodu is a mother of three. She and her kids hawk fruits on the streets. They share the routes they have to cover daily. To boost her income, she used to borrow money from the women group to sell plastics but was unable to meet up interest and timelines. She became a lucky beneficiary of CBA Foundation seed capital for the plastic business and packaging of the fruits.
Just like Nwosu, periodic checks and reports are to be done by leaders of their respective groups to track their progress, Mrs. Chinwe Bode-Akinwande, the CBA founder said.
For Mrs Okonkwo, the kids’ welfare had remained a huge challenge. The widow who cleans the streets and takes care of her very aged mother, wants to start a poultry business that can fetch her money, take care of the sick aged mother with her is enough for her to cater for her kids. CBA has come to her rescue also by providing seed capital for the poultry business which will be tracked by her group leader just like others who were empowered the same day of outreach.
One of them, Mrs Akoma, goes into thick bushes to fetch firewood, arranges them and takes to different market days to sell and earn a living. Akaoma was also among the beneficiaries of the seed capital to start a business to immediately stop the risk to her life in the thick forest.
The CBA Foundation is primarily dedicated to promoting the protection of Nigerian underprivileged widows and their vulnerable children, restoring immediate and lasting hope, confidence, and courage in their lives.
Established in 2015, the foundation, under its five-point agenda, has reached out to thousands of underprivileged widows and children through skills acquisition training, health intervention, business start-ups and provision of clothing, nutrition and tuition fees for the children.
A breakdown shows 5,600 widows have been empowered through its women empowerment and capacity building initiative; over 3,500underprivileged widows have received health intervention while over 3,600 have received food items.
The foundation has also reinstated 45 children in schools, empowered 120 widows financially to start a business of their own and provided palliatives to 250 widows during the COVID-19 pandemic lock-down.
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By Modupe Gbadeyanka
About 6,000 jobs have been created, with $379 million collectively raised by startups owned by entrepreneurs who have passed through the Black Founders Fund (BBF) of a tech giant, Google.
Google created the BBF initiative to empower startup owners of African origin. This programme has helped to drive innovation, job creation and business expansions because of the grants received from the sponsor of the scheme.
On Tuesday, past participants of the initiative were at iHub in Nairobi, Kenya, for the Black Founders Fund Alumni Summit, where the organisers unveiled the BFF Impact Report to highlight the significant progress and success of Black-led startups across Africa.
This annual event brought together 45-50 alumni from across the continent including Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Uganda to celebrate their achievements and discuss the future of Africa’s digital economy.
The BFF Impact Report offers a comprehensive look at the remarkable impact that targeted support for Black entrepreneurs has had on the African tech ecosystem.
The report revealed that BFF-supported startups have collectively raised $379 million, created more than 6,000 jobs, and experienced 61% faster growth than their peers, underscoring the importance of strategic investment in fostering sustainable innovation.
Through non-dilutive funding, mentorship, and networking, the Black Founders Fund has empowered entrepreneurs to overcome barriers, scale their businesses, and contribute to Africa’s digital transformation. The BFF Impact Report demonstrates the pivotal role of the program in strengthening the continent’s startup ecosystem, enabling businesses to compete globally and attract significant investment.
“The Black Founders Fund is not just about financial support—it’s about creating an ecosystem of innovation, job creation, and opportunity.
“The BFF Impact Report reflects the incredible progress Black entrepreneurs have made, and how the right resources can empower them to lead Africa’s digital future. The impact we are seeing today will set the stage for an even more vibrant African tech landscape tomorrow,” the Country Director for West Africa at Google for Startups, Olumide Balogun, remarked.
“This report is a celebration of the incredible work being done by Black founders across Africa. The BFF Impact Report proves that, when we invest in these entrepreneurs, we’re not only helping individual startups, but we’re driving systemic change within the broader African tech ecosystem,” the Head of Startup Ecosystem for Africa at Google, Mr Folarin Aiyegbusi, also stated.
In addition, the Black Founders Fund Manager Europe at Google for Startups, Mariama Boumanjal, said, “The BFF Impact Report proves that with the right support, Black founders can not only overcome these challenges—they can lead the way in innovation, job creation, and economic development.”
Business Post reports that through non-dilutive funding, mentorship, and an expansive network, the BFF has empowered over 220 startups, enabling them to scale faster and break down these barriers.
By Adedapo Adesanya
After years of laying fallow, the Port Harcourt Refinery began producing and distribute petroleum products Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) or petrol, Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) or diesel and Household Kerosene (HHK) or Kerosene.
This development has raised expectations regarding Nigeria’s other three refineries not yet operational. These include the second refinery in Port Harcourt as well as the Warri and Kaduna Refinery.
The reactivation of these facilities, according to energy analysts, will help push out more supply of petroleum products, which may help cut down high prices that Nigerians pay while also making the country self-sufficient.
The newly operational refinery was built in 1965 and Port Harcourt II was added in 1989, increasing capacity by 150,000 barrels per day, making the total capacity of the Port Harcourt complex 210,000 barrels per day.
The Warri Refinery was built in in 1978 and is supposed to have an upgraded capacity up to 125,000 barrels per day and the Kaduna Refinery, which was commissioned in 1980, was designed with a capacity of 110,000 barrels per day.
Speaking during a brief ceremony to mark the commencement of products loading at the refinery on Tuesday in Port Harcourt, the Group CEO, Mr Mele Kyari described the commencement of the loadout activities as a monumental achievement for Nigeria which signifies a new era of energy independence and economic growth for the country.
The GCEO further thanked Nigerians for their patience and for the legitimate expectations on the Company to deliver on the other refineries.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday extended his heartfelt congratulations to the NNPC on the successful revitalization of the Port Harcourt refinery and charged the NNPC Limited to expedite the scheduled reactivation of both the second Port Harcourt refinery and the Warri and Kaduna refineries.
He said these efforts will significantly enhance domestic production capacity alongside the contributions of privately-owned refineries and make our country a major energy hub, with the gas sector also enjoying unprecedented attention by the administration.
The President underscores his administration’s determination to repair the nation’s refineries, aiming to eradicate the disheartening perception of Nigeria as a major crude oil producer that lacks the ability to refine its own resources for domestic consumption.
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