The Bayelsa Government on Teusday disbursed a cash grant of N84 million to 420 Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) operators who hailed from the state.
Each of the beneficiaries got a cash grant of N200,000.
The disbursements were for the months of June and July 2022.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Mrs Faith Opuene, Bayelsa, Commissioner for Women, Children Affairs and Empowerment said the gesture was born out of the need to encourage entrepreneurship amongst the people.
According to the commissioner, it is as part of government’s empowerment programme for women and youths across the state
Opuene said the SMEs were dominated by non indigenes, hence the need to assist small business owners who hailed from Bayelsa to grow and expand their existing businesses.
The commissioner said the cash disbursement was for the months of March, April and May 2022.
She added that the gesture was in fulfillment of a pledge by Gov. Douye Diri to support 210 small business operators monthly to the end of his tenure.
“The economy of our state is not within our reach; that is because ours is a civil service state and the SMEs space is dominated by people from outside Bayelsa who drive our economy.
“As part of efforts to encourage entrepreneurship amongst Bayelsa people, our Governor approved the empowerment of one man, one woman from each of the 105 wards as part of efforts to spread prosperity amongst the people.
“Governor Diri had in the second anniversary celebration in February 2022 directed that for the remaining part of his tenure 210 persons who are running small businesses should be supported with a cash grant of N200,000 each,” Opuene said.
She explained that the empowerment scheme was done by a seven-member committee, which had been put in place, a mechanism to ensure that no beneficiary draws the cash more than once.
She said that the biometrics of the beneficiaries were being taken before the disbursement to check multiple payments and advised the beneficiaries to deploy the funds into their businesses.
She said there were plans to monitor the performance of beneficiaries and further support their businesses in various phases of development, adding that only those who grew their businesses would benefit from such future plans.
tate government for the support to small scale businesses and urged the government to sustain the grants.
Mrs Joye Newman, a petty trader from Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa applauded the governor for thethe gesture and advised would be beneficiaries to have faith in the administration and wait till they are due to benefit from the empowerment schemes.
A total of 1,260 beneficiaries drawn from the 105 wards across eight local government areas have so far benefited from the scheme which commenced in February, 2022.
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