In Bayelsa, 1,260 Small-Scale Business Owners empowered.

Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports

More than 1,260 women and young people from 105 wards across eight local government areas in Bayelsa State received N200,000 each as part of an empowerment package in order to grow their companies and advance the state’s economy.

To empower the state’s Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) owners, the “Women and Youths Empowerment Programme” was introduced in February 2022.

The Chairperson of the Seven-man Committee for the Disbursement and Monitoring of the Scheme, Mrs. Faith Opene, spoke at the cash disbursement in Yenagoa. She underlined the state government’s commitment to boosting the state’s economy through SMEs, which is being led by Governor Douye Diri.

According to Opene, Governor Diri has assured business owners that his administration will give N200,000 each month to two business owners per ward across the eight local governments till the end of his first term.

The monies’ recipients were exhorted by Opene, who also acts as the state’s commissioner for women’s, children’s, empowerment, and social development, to make sensible investments and maintain control over the state’s economy rather than turning it over to foreigners.

According to her, the program is designed to assist current business owners in the eight local government districts in growing their companies.

She highlighted that no political considerations were taken into account when selecting the beneficiaries of the empowerment initiative and forewarned the beneficiaries that the government would be watching them closely to ensure they used the cash as intended.

A handful of the people who received the N200,000 apiece thanked Governor Diri and pledged to use the money sensibly.

Mrs. Ebomotimi Waripamo stated that the N200,000 she received would enable her to grow her local bread (Madiga) manufacturing company.