The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has stated that over 12,000 beneficiaries from Oyo State are now counting their gains from the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP) MarketMoni interest-free loans.
Speaking recently at the state’s Micro, Small and Medium-Scale Enterprise (MSME) Clinic, where he interacted with over 2,500 of the beneficiaries in Ibadan, Osinbajo said, “the President has directed the expansion of the GEEP MarketMoni loan to accommodate the least traders.”
According to him, it is “the hope of President Muhammadu Buhari to broaden opportunities to every Nigerian by providing such loans such as the MarketMoni loans, TraderMoni, and the latest being the FarmerMoni to accommodate even the least trader.”
He added that the loan was meant for every Nigerian willing to work, earn a living and be a partner in the ongoing efforts at resuscitating the economy.
Also speaking at the event, the Governor of Oyo State, Abiola Ajimobi noted the importance of MSMEs to the economy and lauded the federal government for its outstanding initiatives geared at bolstering the economy by empowering MSMEs.
He stated that “Small business is where prosperity begins because it is the live-wire of the economy.”
He stated that the federal government must be commended not only for realising this, but also in reinforcing it through their great initiatives.
On her part, Commissioner for Women Affairs and focal person for Social Investment Programme in the state, Atinuke Osunkoyo spoke on how the programme had helped women in the state.
The Executive Director of Financial Inclusion in Bank of Industry (BOl), Toyin Adeniji, revealed that the GEEP MarketMoni is a self-sustaining programme that has come to stay.
According to her “we have given out loans to thousands of people across the country. Recently we were in Edo to interact with beneficiaries, and we are doing the same today in Oyo State with over 12,000 beneficiaries.”
