Entrepreneurs to benefit from N510m fund in Ogun

Entrepreneurs in Ogun State will this year benefit from the N510 million empowerment fund through their trade associations, community development associations and co-operative societies domiciled in the state.

Duro Aiyedogbon, Ogun State commissioner for community development and co-operatives, says the fund is for the economic boost and empowerment of businesses in the state this year.

Entrepreneurs, business men and women as well as artisans operating in the state under the auspices of co-operative societies, community development associations and trade associations domiciled in the state would be empowered through subventions, credit facilities, grant-in-aids, among others, Aiyedogbon says.

Towards this objective, the government has set aside N510 million through a budgetary provision as part of monetary allocations to the ministry of community development and co-operatives for the execution of proposed empowerment and development programmes across the state.

Speaking exclusively with BusinessDay in Abeokuta, the state capital on the proposed empowerment and development programmes, Aiyedogbon reveals that the programmes are evolved to engage more idle hands in all communities that make up the state, thereby making idle population productive and reducing crime rate.

The commissioner says that the government, having considered the ministry’s intermediary roles in developing people and communities at the grassroots level, would reach out to different sets of people in the state through the ministry, adding that government is re-positioning all the community based associations, such as co-operatives, trade associations in order to alleviate poverty, unemployment and engender socio-economic development.

The commissioner, who discloses that the state-owned Cooperative College, Ibara, Abeokuta and Social Development Institute, Iperu-Remo, are being re-positioned to cope with current socio-economic realities in accordance with the best international practice, says that the programmes are being put in place to make people, especially the needy happier.

“By giving grant-in-aids to over 6,000 communities, loans to entrepreneurs, business men and women through co-operative societies as well as yearly subventions to artisans under trade associations such as barbers, mechanics, fashion designers, hairdressers, we are reducing poverty and crimes.

“I can assure you that government is putting in place more empowerment and development programmes to help our communities and the good people of Ogun State, especially at grassroots this year; if people are happy, definitely, the government will come back, hence we want to make our people happier in 2014,” he states.

By: RAZAQ  AYINLA