The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency SMEDAN has provided grant of 4.6 million naira to sixteen cooperative societies in Borno state.
At a ceremony in Maiduguri, Director General of SMEDAN Dr Dikko Radda said each cooperative society will receive 288,750 naira to improve agr-ibusiness among small scale entrepreneurs.
Represented a Director in the Agency Mrs Fatima Shuaibu, the Director General explained that the benefiting cooperative societies had undergone six days training and counselling on how to properly channel the grant for the betterment of their livelihood.
He said the Agri-business Development and Empowerment Programme was created to improve rural industrialisation, provide post harvest support services and linking agri-busuness to market finance.
According to Dr. Radda similar training has been conducted in Kebbi, Akwa Ibom, Delta and Ondo states, calling on the participants to make better use of the grant to become role models in their communities.
Manager Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation NAIC Alhaji Usman Balarabe and Head of Cooperative Federal Ministry of Agriculture Malam Abba said the grant would help reinvigorate small businesses affected by the Boko Haram crisis.
Some of the beneficiaries lauded SMEDAN for the intervention and promised to channel the fund to boost their business.
Highlight of the event was the presentation of dummy cheque and certificates to representatives of cooperative groups.
Dauda Iliya