Tuesday January 27, 2026
www.thenewsdesk.ng
The Akwa Ibom Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, has commissioned multi-million naira oil palm processing mills in Oku Abak and across all 11 wards of Abak LGA, empowering rural women to shift from manual processing to large-scale, income-generating production.
The Governor was represented by the Deputy Governor, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, at a ceremony attended by the Coordinator, Office of the First Lady, Lady Helen Eno-Obareki, the Wife of the Secretary to the State Government, Commissioners including Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Hon. Mrs. Inibehe Silas Etukudoh; Humanitarian Affairs, Special Adviser, Hon. Alice Ekpeyong; Information and Strategy, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Umanah and wife, Maureen Umanah; the Chairman of Abak Local Government Council, Mrs. Ime Charles, and a host of other stakeholders.
Implemented under the Nigeria for Women Project (NFWP) with World Bank support, the initiative has mobilised over 39,000 women into cooperative clusters, with each modern mill capable of processing up to 10 tonnes of palm fruits daily.
To deepen impact and sustainability, Governor Eno has injected ₦890 million in revolving loans for women cooperatives and an additional ₦450 million as counterpart funding to expand the programme statewide—strengthening livelihoods and advancing the rural development goals of the ARISE Agenda.
