Three hundred women and youth across the six area councils of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have received loans under the Micro Enterprise Enhancement Loan Scheme (MEES) of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE).
The loan disbursement which is collaboration between NDE and the FCT administration saw beneficiaries, mostly women; go home with N10, 000.00 cash to start up businesses or to improve on existing ones.
Speaking at the occasion, which took place Thursday, at the FCDA Conference Hall, Area 11, Abuja, the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, said the loan was in fulfilment of the promise of the present administration to eradicate poverty from the country.
Represented by the Manager, Asset Management, Abuja Enterprise Agency (AEA) Mr Chudi Ezirigwe, the minister said the aim of the loan disbursement was in tandem with the agenda of the administration to take away poverty from the poorest of the poor and make them self-reliant.
He stressed that the small scale loan was for women of the FCT in particular, adding that there was room for expansion to include more women.
“It is an on-going process and there is room for expansion. This is not the first time such disbursement is given. The main thing is to help the women to be self reliant. Those who don’t have business can start one while those that already have can improve on what they have and move to the next level. We intend to increase the number of women who are self reliant in Abuja”, he said
The Minister added with the way the scheme is meant to run; beneficiaries can employ and mentor others, causing a rippling effect that would ensure the complete eradication of poverty in the country.
Speaking earlier, FCT coordinator of the NDE, Mrs Naomi M. Nyadar said the MEES was targeted towards small scale business men and women with special focus on women for the current disbursement.
She said: “A lot of women are eager to start a business no matter how small, but most of them do not have the money to start which is why we are giving them this token. This is just a token. But I believe women are very enterprising and very business minded. With this token, the woman that has no skill can do a lot. It is one of the cardinal objectives of this administration to empower women financially, so that they will in turn improve on the lives of their families and add value to the society.”
