Kwara Supports 490 SMEs With Interest-free Loans
L-R: Chief Gbenle Adeyemi; Commissioner for Social Development Hon. Abosede Aremu; DG Kwara State Governorship Campaign Committee Amb. Yahaya Seriki; Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; Adebayo Titilayo (Beneficiary); and Acting General Manager Kwara State Social Investment Programme Abdulquowiy Olododo; during the launch of Kwapreneur 3.0, in Ilorin, on Tuesday.
By Afusat Agunbiade-Oladipo
No fewer than 490 small business owners have won varying amounts of non-interest loans under the Kwara State Social Investment Programme (KWASSIP), to grow their enterprises.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that 10 out of the 490 young business owners got either N1.5million or N2million each at a symbolic ceremony where Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq handed them the cheques.
NAN also reports that 10 main winners, who pitched different business ideas ranging from printing, fashion, waste recycling, and agric value chains, are Hussein Ahmed (N1.5m), Azeez Akeem (N1.5m), Soliu Muhammed (N2m); Oladunni Kafilat (N2m).
Others are: Femi Peter (N1.5m), Sanusi Ismail (N2m), Ali Michael (N2m), Kareem Naimat (N2m); Adebayo Hadiat (N1.5); and Abdulrauf Abdulraheem (N1.5m).
The winners emerged from a rigorous process involving 15,708 applicants following different layers of screening by jurors drawn from the private sector and public service top players.
The interest-free loan was given through Kwapreneur 3.0, a third in the series of the youth-focused initiative to support young people to thrive.
Gov. AbdulRazaq said his administration will continue to implement policies and programmes that will make Kwara a better place to live, invest, and work.
He congratulated the finalists of the third series of the scheme, saying that the programme could become a quarterly affair to accommodate more beneficiaries.
He said that KWASSIP was established to positively impact the lives of the poor, the vulnerable and unemployed.
“KWAPRENEUR is one of the many poverty alleviating activities of KWASSIP.
” It is one of the ways to provide funding for small businesses, lubricate the economy and reduce poverty,” he added.
The General Manager of KWASSIP, Abdulquowiy Olododo, said that “Kwapreneur is a non-interest loan scheme that is designed for young entrepreneurs in Kwara.
Olododo said the programme is organised to support new young businesses and help existing businesses to expand.
” The overall objective of the scheme is to ensure we encourage youth entrepreneurship to create the next generation of Job creators to see that Kwara becomes a business-driven economy.
Courage Balogun, one of the beneficiaries of Kwaprenuour 1.0 who gave a goodwill message, described AbdulRazaq as a lover of the youths, testifying that the Governor’s passion for Kwarans, particularly young entrepreneurs, transcends religious, ethnic and political boundaries.
Balogun recalled that she got an interest-free loan during the first phase of it progeamme on the basis of merit, encouraging the latest beneficiaries of the loan to use the funds judiciously.
She appreciated the administration for investing so much in the youths in several ways. (NAN)
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