…for wealth creation In Kogi
Gov Yahaya Bello of Kogi on Monday pledged adequate support to Micro Small Enterprises (MSEs) towards wealth creation and economic growth of the state.
The governor gave the assurance during the distribution of Information Communications Technology (ICT) enhancement business toolkits to Micro Small Enterprises (MSEs) in the state at Government House Lokoja.
Represented by Mrs Folashade Arike-Ayoade, Secretary to the Government, Bello said the distribution was in fulfilment of the Kogi State COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (KG-CARES) programme, Result Area 3, under the ICT enhancement grants.
According to him, the programme being anchored by Kogi Enterprise Development Agency (KEDA), is also aimed at supporting benefitting enterprises to embrace technology for business sustainability and economic development of the state.
He tasked the 100 beneficiary MSEs to make prudent and judicious use of the enhancement tools to boost their businesses and pathway for more incentives.
“From my understanding, 50,000 MSEs applied for the incentives but only 100 scaled through for this phase I but with time, more will be captured in the next phase, ” he said.
He said the government would set up a monitoring committee that would go round beneficiaries to ensure that all the enhancement tools were put to use as expected.
Earlier, KEDA Managing Director/CEO, Hajiya Rekiya Onaivo-Sanni, appreciated the commitment of the governor to strategically reposition the MSE sector for improved productivity.
Onaivo-Sanni explained that the project was in tandem with the cardinal objectives of the current administration, and that it shall go round the MSEs in all the 21 LGAs of the state.
The MD cautioned the beneficiaries not to resell or give out the tools given to them, but keep their records for monitoring agencies from world Bank and state government in order not to loose their positions.
She advised all interested applicants to ensure that they strictly applied online, else they would not be considered nor benefit from the incentives.
“We are on 3.2 IBA and 3.3 IBA of the incentives in which N23 million has been disbursed to beneficiaries. Interested applicants can benefit from both sets (3.2IBA and 3.3 IBA), ” she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some of the tools distributed include mobile tablets, printers, projectors, Personal Computers, Desktop, UPS, Point of Sale machines, Wi-Fi devices.
(NAN)