Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has distributed business improvement tools to over 300 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) operating in the state, in line with efforts to improve performance and increase profitability.
The empowerment, carried out by the Kogi Enterprise Development Authority (KEDA) in collaboration with the World Bank, was carried out in two phases.
Over 100 MSMEs benefited on Monday and over 200 benefited in the first round.
KEDA Managing Director, Hajiya Lekiya Onaiwovo, said the beneficiaries were selected after a thorough screening from among 60,000 registrations received by the agency to meet the very high evaluation criteria of the partners.
Items provided to MSMEs for business improvement include laptops, desktops, tablets, internet devices, POS devices, projectors, printers, Android mobile phones, and other devices to improve ICT business.
The KEDA Managing Director said that the distribution of equipment under Kogi Cares Outcome Area 3 “Specifically Delivery Linkage Indicator (DLI) 3.3” was initially a response by the Kogi Government to the sudden impact of the COVID-19 lockdown period. He explained that it was part of the Micro and small businesses.
He pointed out that ICT facilitates connectivity and allows companies to conduct their business by making the most of the Internet space, regardless of location and environmental conditions, and beneficiaries have signed a contract in this regard. Therefore, he warned that it would not be allowed to dispose of the tools.
Onaiwovo added that under the leadership of Governor Yahaya Bello, KEDA ensured equal distribution of the tools to the 21 local governments in the state.
She assured that the Agency will continue to expand its coverage to attract more beneficiaries in follow-up programs.
While clarifying that unlike DLI 3.1 and 3.2, beneficiaries under KG Cares DLI 3.3 will not receive cash, the KEDA Managing Director said that the enhanced He said the agency had received approval from the World Bank to receive the grant. You receive benefits based on your performance as assessed by the World Bank.
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She disclosed that the initiative was not a political empowerment but was born out of the Kogi State Governor’s strong desire to empower small businesses in the state and create an environment where they can thrive.
Governor Bello received a speech from the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Bello at the event. His representative, Mr. Folashade Arike Ayoade, said his administration was genuinely concerned about small business owners in the state and was making every effort to create an environment where small business owners could thrive.
Governor Bello added that the ICT tools distributed to the beneficiaries must be used wisely to improve their businesses and ultimately contribute to economic development and poverty reduction in the state.
He noted that the state would work with KEDA partners to ensure proper use of decentralized tools, and said the state government was ready to do more if it received commendable feedback. Ta.
One of the beneficiaries, Ali Yakubu Umar, CEO of Kakanda TV Prime Productions, highly praised the state government’s kind response.
He said the process was rigorous but transparent, adding that the equipment provided would improve business and drive efficiency and service delivery.
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