Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) is set to empower over 2,000 women and girls across 215 host communities along the Eastern Corridor of the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) through a comprehensive entrepreneurship and financial literacy programme.
The initiative, known as the PINL Women Entrepreneurs and Empowerment Programme, aims to equip women with business skills, financial education, and enterprise support to promote self-reliance and sustainable livelihoods.
General Manager, Community Relations and Stakeholder Engagement at PINL, Dr. Akpos Mezeh, disclosed this during the company’s monthly stakeholders’ meeting with representatives of host communities in Rivers, Imo, and Abia States. He said data capturing for the exercise had been completed in Port Harcourt for Rivers, Abia, and Imo host communities, while the process for Bayelsa communities was concluded in Yenagoa. Verification, according to him, is underway, and selected beneficiaries will soon be contacted.
Mezeh said the empowerment initiative, expected to be implemented before the end of the year, marks a significant milestone in PINL’s commitment to gender inclusion and community development. He also announced that the company’s youth scholarship programme for host communities is being finalized, with disbursement of funds scheduled to begin in October. He added that new entries from underrepresented communities had been included to ensure fairness and equitable participation.
On environmental initiatives, Mezeh stated that PINL is collaborating with relevant government agencies and environmental experts to conduct joint assessments across the TNP corridor, identifying key areas for remediation and social investment. He said the company’s goal is to sustain safe operations while ensuring its activities deliver lasting social and environmental value to host communities.
