Bayelsa Empowers 210 SMEs with Cash Grant

As part of efforts to boost small scale business owners, the Bayelsa State Government, yesterday, paid another set of business owners the sum of N200,000 each for the month of September.

With yesterday’s beneficiaries, the Mrs. Faith Opene-led Committee have completed another round of payment for small-scale business owners across 105 wards with a sum of N200,000 each through the ongoing “Bayelsa Women and Youths Empowerment Program.”

The program is geared to encourage and support Bayelsans in business to thrive, grow and own their local economy.

Payment is made to two persons each across the 105 wards, making it a total of 210 beneficiaries for September 2022.

So far, a total of 1,680 persons have been empowerea since the program started in February 2022 during the second Anniversary of the prosperity administration, and the empowerment is to run until the end of the first tenure of this administration.

Speaking during the event, the Chairperson of the Committee,

Hon. Opene, disclosed that the Diri-led administration in the state placed a high premium on youth and women’s empowerment, stating that the ongoing empowerment program is to encourage smallscale business owners to grow their businesses and own our local economy.

Opee said: “The prosperity administration believed that women and Youth empowerment is fundamental to economic development.”

She applauded Governor Douye Diri for his exemplary and exceptional commitment to issues bordering on the empowerment of women and youths.

She urged beneficiaries to invest the grant in their already existing business and not lavish the cash.

One of the beneficiaries, Ms. Boumokuma Sample said that she was glad that the Diri-led prosperity administration gave her a cash grant of N200,000 to expand her fish business.

“I’ve never experienced this in Bayelsa. I appreciate His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri for this empowerment program. I pray for God to bless him and give him the wisdom to govern this state. We are expecting him to complete his Eight years.”