Chief (Mrs.) Monisade Afuye, the Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, has announced that Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s administration, in collaboration with Access Bank, has secured a N1 billion soft loan to support women entrepreneurs and enhance investment in Ekiti State.
The Deputy Governor emphasized that, in addition to reducing poverty and addressing rising unemployment rates, the Governor’s innovative and well-conceived policy will elevate female business owners, making them integral to the government’s economic development strategy.
Ekiti News reports that Chief. Mrs Afuye disclosed that the loan initiated by Governor Oyebanji through partnership with Access Bank would expand the scope of women’s accessibility to soft loans to propel their businesses.
Chief. Mrs. Afuye made these remarks on Monday during a sensitization road walk to major markets in Ado Ekiti. The event aimed to interact with traders about the EKSG-Access Bank soft loan for women business owners, which will be officially launched on Tuesday, July 9.
According to a statement signed by the Special Assistant on Media to the Deputy Governor, Victor Ogunje, the sensitization train, led by Mrs Afuye, the Commissioner for Trade and Investment, Mrs Omotayo Adeola, top government’s functionaries and access Bank officials, visited Okesa, Oja Oba, Atikankan, Oja Bisi and Irona Markets, to have direct interface with traders and would-be principal beneficiaries. .
While addressing the market traders, the Deputy Governor revealed that the state government would cover part of the interest on the loan to ease repayment for the beneficiaries.
She said, “Let me start by appreciating Governor Oyebanji for initiating this partnership with Access Bank to empower businesswomen. We thank him for counting womenfolk worthy of being empowered as business owners, so that they can be relevant in the economic development process.
“What the governor was trying to extend to business, had been demonstrated in politics, where women are holding high positions in government. We are all living witnesses to this.
“With this partnership with access Bank, women can have unfettered access to soft and low interest rate loans that can make them owners of flourishing businesses to transform our economy and make them relevant in the scheme of things.
“These loans can be used to establish new businesses or used to expand the existing ones. The essence of this is to banish poverty, unemployment and reduce the hardship being caused by the current inflation in the system.
“Let me assure our women that Governor Oyebanji is highly desirous of producing good number of women business owners that can transform the economy of our great state.”