By TYAV SAM TYAV, Makurdi –
The Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia has bagged an outstanding award for the support of the development and growth of Micro, Small and Medium -Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) in Benue State.
This award is coming few months after the Governor had collected an award from the Leadership Newspaper.
A statement by the Principal Special Assistant to the Governor on Media Publicity and Strategic Communications, Bridget Tikyaa, said the award was in recognition of Governor Alia’s outstanding efforts in supporting the development and growth of Micro,Small and Medium -scale Enterprises (MSMEs) in the state.
The Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Sen Ibrahim Hadejia, according to the statement performed the ceremony at the World MSMEs Day (Joint Nigeria and African Union event) held in Abuja.
Under Gov Alia’s leadership, the statement continued, Benue State has implemented various initiatives and policies aimed at empowering local businesses, creating jobs, and driving economic progress.
Governor Alia while receiving the award said, he was honored to receive this award, which was a testament to the hard work and dedication of the Benue State Government in supporting our local entrepreneurs.
He noted that “Our administration remains committed to creating an enabling environment for MSMEs to thrive, as they are the backbone of our state’s economy.” He said.
Vice-President, Kashim Shettima in his comment assured that President Bola Tinubu led administration was committed to the prosperity of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the country.
Represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Sen. Ibrahim Hadejia, the VP said that the recent launch of N150 billion MSMEs Intervention fund in partnership with the Bank of industry which offers single digit loans to MSMEs across Nigeria, among other interventions, was an example of the commitment.
He pointed out that MSMEs are the backbone of not only the Nigerian or the African economy, but of the global economy adding that they account for 90 per cent of all businesses worldwide and employ over 60 per cent of the global workforce.
He said “In Nigeria, the stakes were even higher when it comes to MSMEs. MSMEs in Nigeria account for 96 per cent of all businesses; they contribute to our economy by over 45 per cent and without them, 80 per cent of the current Nigerian workforce will be without employment.
“These facts provide us with the evidence that if MSMEs prosper, Nigeria prospers, if MSMEs prosper, Africa prospers, if MSMEs prosper, the entire world prospers.”
He urged all not to forget that this gathering was a call to action which implies that people should ensure that they do their part and put into action all the insights that have been uncovered from the occasion.
“Failure to do so would mean that we have gathered here for nothing and wasted another opportunity.”
He appreciated the leadership of the African Union Commission for partnering with the Nigerian Government to bring together relevant stakeholders to lend their voice to the important conversation on what could be done to better support MSMEs in Africa.
Mr Tola Adekunle-Johnson, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Job Creation and MSMEs, in his remarks reiterated the determination of government to put modalities in place to ensure that MSMEs access single digits loan easily.
He appreciated WEMA Bank for partnering with the President Tinubu’s administration to expand opportunities in the MSMES space.
According to him, “The essence of the partnership is to ensure that small businesses are able to get a single digits loan.” Aa
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