Enugu provides MSMEs with incentives and gives N4.6 billion in agricultural inputs.
Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah has started distributing grants and supplies to farmers, communities, and IT companies in the state, totaling over N4.6 billion.
The governor claimed that this was a component of his initiatives to improve food security, advance agro-industrialization, and aid in the growth of micro, small, and medium-sized businesses.
At Thursday’s symbolic flag-off event at Okpara Square, Enugu, Mbah emphasized the significance of enabling small-scale entrepreneurs for long-term profitable growth.
The governor declared that 12,000 smallholder farmers will get a bag of fertilizer each, thanks to a gift made to all states by the federal government.
Additionally, the administration would further show its commitment to MSME growth and agricultural development by distributing 51 power tillers, each valued at N2 million, to farmers in the state’s various farming clusters.
Additionally, we are kicking off today the 1,251 recipients across the 17 local government regions who will get agricultural inputs. Among these inputs are herbicides, rice and bean seedlings, cassava stems, and organic fertilizers, according to Mbah.
Furthermore, he announced that the administration would renovate a number of rural roads in order to improve the network and guarantee that the farming communities that are emerging throughout the state’s rural area are not isolated entities.
Mbah estimated that N1 billion will be provided to MSMEs, with 80% of the funds going to women-owned businesses.
Our entrepreneurship intervention program, which is being launched today, has a value of N1 billion. This involves giving N60,000 to more than 16,000 recipients, the majority of whom are female-owned nanobusiness entrepreneurs at an 80:20 ratio.
It’s possible that some people are curious about the cause of this significant disparity. We acknowledge that women bear a disproportionate share of the burden of poverty. That explains why we work extra hard to increase opportunities for women and girls, particularly in our rural communities.
Under our MSMEs initiative, 187 recipients are receiving N400,000 in payments from us. Additional flag-off measures in this respect include the distribution of N7.5 million to ten tech businesses each, an operating grant for solar equipment to 256 recipients, and the distribution of commodities, such as laptop computers and POS terminals, to 269 recipients, he said.
We are also starting a N15 million water supply and sanitation improvement project that will benefit 135 communities. That comes out to be more than N2 billion.
This entails setting up power generators, building restrooms, and drilling ultramodern boreholes. These would be placed in places like marketplaces, town halls, and educational institutions,” he stated.
Earlier in his speech, Patrick Ubru, Commissioner for Agriculture and Agro-Industrialization, exhorted farmers and other recipients to repay the government’s substantial support by using grants and inputs wisely in order to generate jobs, revolutionize the agricultural sector, and strengthen the state’s economy.
Romanus Eze, the chairman of the All Farmers Association of Nigeria’s Enugu State branch, gave the governor assurances during his speech that the government will not be let down by the farmers and other recipients.
“Life has never been better for us. We promise not to let you down. “We pledge to deliver tangible outcomes because those who receive much also receive much,” he remarked.
