Delta boosts 1,875 businesses, spends N835m on active poor
Farmers, market women, artisans
ELECTIONS ARE HERE, NEWS AND IN NIGE RIA, elected political office holders know how to coax their eligible voters. Everywhere around the country, sub-nationals are in frenzied vote-seeking moves with economic gestures.
For Delta, an oil-rich subnational, a better way to kick off was to put forward advance grants, micro-loans and equipment provision to some 1,875 farmers and artisans.
The gesture, explained Ifeanyi Okowa, the state governor, is to assist them to either start up or expand their businesses.
The beneficiaries included 900 men and women who received cash and equipment to enable them start off a farming venture or expand an existing business. The rest were 975 artisans made up of motorcycle riders, tricycle riders and butchers, among others, who received loans to improve their businesses.
Some of the farmers got N100,000 grant each; and some got equipment while artisans were empowered with loans.
Okowa, governor of the $20.79 billion gross domestic product state economy, said the expectation of the state government was that the packages presented to the beneficiaries would ultimately lead to the creation of jobs in line with the objectives of his SMART agenda on agricultural reforms and accelerated industrialization.He informed that the state government created the Delta State Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (DEMSMA) to coordinate, promote and facilitate financing of agricultural and allied products for micro, small and medium enterprises.
According to him, the agency has since the inception of the current administration, empowered 600 entrepreneurship
groups and cooperative societies across the 25 local government areas (LGAs) of the state to the tune of N835.7 million through the various empowerment schemes in which youths, farmers, market women and men are beneficiaries.
Shimite Bello, executive secretary of the DEMSMA recalled that the gesture done to them was not the first time the state government would empower its citizens to boost their businesses.
She said the current administration in the state has continued to give out money since its inception in 2015.
“We have been an agency that has been giving money and not just starting now. Since 2015, every year we make sure something goes out,” she said, as she denied that the money given out was for vote-buying.
Bello said the programme was the fallout of the several town-hall meetings embarked upon by Governor Okowa in fulfilment of his promise to Deltans who complained that money had not reached them.
The board chairman of the DEMSMA, Onisuru Salami urged the beneficiaries to make proper use of the money and equipment for the development and growth of their businesses.