Bayelsa Government Gives Out 200K Grant to Small-Scale Businesses

The Governor Douye Diri Administration’s policy which is centered on projects and programmes that will promote the prosperity of the land and people of the Bayelsa state.

Bayelsa State Commissioner for Women and Children Affairs, Empowerment and Social Development, Mrs. Faith Opuene stated this while addressing the beneficiaries of the 9th in the series of the monthly Women and Youth Empowerment programme for the month of October at the Auditorium of the Ministry of Women Affairs Secretariat Annex 4, Yenagoa on Monday.

The beneficiaries are made up a man and a woman each from the one hundred political wards of the state.

Mrs. Faith Opuene who is the Chairperson of the Empowerment Programme, said that Governor Douye Diri’s sustained investment aimed at promoting small scale businesses with grant of Two Hundred Thousand naira each to Two Hundred and Ten Business owners is to promote the business environment in a manner that ensures that indigenes of the state take a commanding share of the local economy through the small-scale businesses sector.

She disclosed that so far, one thousand Eight Hundred and Ninety Small Scale enterprises have benefited with a total sum of Three Hundred and Seventy-Eight Million Naira paid to them as grants.

The Women Affairs Commissioner encouraged the beneficiaries to invest the grants received in their businesses in order to meet the government objectives.

In her words “this grant is part of His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri’s commitment to assisting indigenous businesses to prosper. The only way to show gratitude is to put the money in your businesses. Governor Douye Diri is desirous of growing this the local economy and create wealth. He is doing his own bit of the job by providing you the enablement. The ball is now in your courts, don’t disappoint him.”

According to the commissioner, machinery has been set up to monitor the beneficiaries and access the performance of the grant given to them.

Mrs. Opuene however said report reaching her suggests that many beneficiaries are doing well, she urged new beneficiaries to sustain the tempo saying “from next year, when the programme will be a year old, the empowerment committee will go around the state for an on-the- sport assessment of the programme with a view to ensuring that it is meeting government objectives” .

It could be recalled that the Youth and Women Empowerment Scheme commenced during the second anniversary of the administration in February 2022 in fulfillment of Governor Douye Diri’s promise to provide funding support for existing small-scale businesses.

From all indication, the programme is designed to continue till the end of the administration.

Tife Owolabi
Journalist
Niger Delta
@tifeowolabi