By
Gloria Josiah

PRP FCT senatorial hopeful Dr. Juliet Hasana-Moneme says real empowerment should be judged by what beneficiaries build, not just by the cash given to them.

Moneme is advocating for a revolving-fund system that pairs financial support with skills training, mentoring, market access, and accountability. She believes this model can help more women in the FCT achieve financial independence.

She shared the story of a woman who was drowning in family debt and selling plastic items to survive. Instead of giving her money directly, Moneme said she helped her pivot to food business — specifically akara and fried yam — and provided the basic tools to start.

Moneme also said she used her platform to promote the business, which helped the woman grow from a roadside vendor into the owner of a restaurant. The woman later secured a contract to supply food to visitors at the local government secretariat, while also saving and expanding her business.

That experience, Moneme noted, convinced her that empowerment must go beyond one-off cash handouts.
“Beneficiaries need start-up support, guidance, oversight, a savings culture, and access to markets for their businesses to last,” she said.

She added that she has already tested the revolving-fund approach in community projects. Under the model, beneficiaries contribute and repay into a common fund so other women can also benefit. A similar system was also run by a women’s group she led in Abuja, and it continued even after she stepped down.

“We must ensure that investment funds given to our people are not free money. It should be a revolving fund,” Moneme stated.

If elected, she plans to implement the same model at the constituency level, with a focus on three areas: skills acquisition for women, economic empowerment, and access to credit. She said women in the FCT should hold her accountable on these.

Moneme also proposed creating a database of residents across the FCT’s six area councils to properly identify beneficiaries, assess their needs, and link them to opportunities.

For her, the ultimate aim is to ensure that when one woman gets support, it opens doors for another.