The Edo State Government has pledged to sustain reforms and programmes to guarantee business growth, ensuring that businesses have access to funding and the enabling environment to succeed and contribute to the state’s economy.
The Edo State Commissioner for Industry, Trade and Cooperatives, Afishetu Braimoh gave the assurance at the opening of the second phase of the financial literacy workshop for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), in Benin City, on Tuesday.
She said the workshop, aimed at enabling MSMEs access funding to grow their businesses, is being organized in collaboration with GIZ/SEDIN-GOPA.
The commissioner said the state government is linking the first batch of over 200 successful participants to credit sources, noting, “No doubt, the second set of over 250 successful trainees will also be eligible for credit.”
Braimoh added, “During the first phase of the workshop, the Manager of the Benin Office of the Bank of Industry (BOI) sensitized participants on how to benefit from EDSG-BOI MSMEs fund worth over N2 billion.”
One of the facilitators at the workshop, Mr. Iyoha John commended the state government for creating a platform for MSMEs to acquire skills to improve their businesses, adding that the “programme also equipped participants with requisite knowledge to increase sales and expand customers’ base.”
A participant, Miss Doris Izienosa, a palm oil producer in Benin City, said “It is an inspiring moment for me as a small-scale business owner in Edo. The programme has opened my eyes to some shortcomings in my business. I feel it is a platform to learn, bringing together entrepreneurs to take their businesses to the next level.”
