NAN-HE-13
Loan
By Kingsley Okoye
Abuja, March 21, 2017 (NAN) The National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANT) says members are going through a process towards accessing the N140 billion interest-free loan of the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP).
The National Women Leader of the association, Mrs Ruth Agbo, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday.
Agbo expressed the appreciation of the women wing of NANT to the government for the screening and accreditation being done to empower them, noting that the loan, when fully disbursed, would help increase volume of trade in the country.
Cue in audio (Agbo)
“The government is trying; now there is a loan scheme that is ongoing for empowering women traders and artisans.
“If you can give within the range of N10 to N100, 000 to the women at their various levels, and they revolve it in their business, it is going to enhance them.
“That is a way the government can help lift the burden off the traders.
“We are on it right now and the Federal Government has mandated some commercial banks to do that and they have approached us.
“So we are getting this commercial banks across the states for our members.
“The accreditation, the screening is ongoing; it is a loan, but it is an interest-free one.
“So it is getting us excited.’’
Cue out audio
Agbo also said the loan, when fully disbursed, would help mitigate the effects of recession on trade.
She said the screening and documentation by the disbursing banks and the association was designed to check default in the re-payment of the loan.
According to her, the exercise is aimed at ensuring that the integrity of the association is preserved.
She also told NAN that the association was working closely with the Consumer Protection Council to defend the rights of consumers in the market.
According to her, the collaboration is to curb the infiltration of sub-standard goods into the market.
She disclosed that NANT had set up a task force in markets to assist government agencies such as Standards Organisation of Nigeria and NAFDAC in the fight against fake and sub-standard products.
She said it was imperative for government at all levels to make the empowerment of women a top priority considering their contributions to increasing the country’s trade volume.
The Federal Government, through the Bank of Industry (BOI), introduced the pilot phase of the N140 billion Government Enterprise Empowerment Programme (GEEP), a loan scheme aimed at assisting micro-business men and women such as market women, traders, artisans, and farmers in the country.
The scheme is designed to foster financial inclusion and economic activity at the micro business level with more than 16 million recipients expected to benefit. (NAN)
KC/DOR/YEE
Edited by Nyisom Dore/Emmanuel Yashim
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