Kogi government provides N150,000 to 585 SMEs

Kogi State has granted N150,000 to each of the 585 recipients in its 21 local government areas in order to help them expand their businesses.

The recipients, primarily petty traders, artists, and small company owners, received the money after undergoing training on how to expand their firms through the state’s “livelihood grants” program.

According to Kehinde Olorunmosunle, the head of the delivery platform for social transfer and livelihood awards, the beneficiaries ranged in age from 18 to 35 years old.

He described the recipients as “agile people who can run around and do business.”

“They are petty traders, artisans, hairdressers, bakers, and fashion designers, among others,” he continued.

“The training is intended to remind the beneficiaries of the need to use the money wisely, as they had previously been trained on what was expected of them and their businesses prior to receiving the money.”

“We went into their communities to confirm the authenticity of their various businesses before releasing the grant to them, and we also moved into the communities to monitor how they applied the funds,” he said.

Mr. Olorunmosunle advised beneficiaries to use their grants wisely and not waste them on frivolous spending.

He thanked the Kogi State administration for the prompt distribution of funds, which allowed Kogi citizens to benefit from the grants.

He also praised the federal government and the World Bank for the project, claiming that it had produced demonstrable results in Kogi State.

Some of the recipients, including Rhamat Musa, Christy Okpe, and Aisha Zubair, praised the World Bank as well as the federal and Kogi governments for their generosity.