Uche Usim, Abuja
In an effort to reposition the economy of Edo State, the Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki has empowered over 77,000 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMES) across the 18 Local Government Areas of the State.
Mr Theophilus Imansuangbon, an entrepreneur and People’s Democratic Party stalwart in the state made the disclosure in a statement.
According to him, data from the Edo State Social Investment Programme indicates that the Governor, in addition to empowering small businesses, has provided support and safe space for the training and empowerment of thousands of women, men and youth across various vocations.
Imansuangbon added that statistics from the Wealth Creation, Cooperative and Employment office show that 13,000 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises have benefitted from the about N2 billion MSME Fund distributed by 12 Microfinance banks in the state.
He noted that when the PDP accepted to welcome the Governor into their fold and also allow him to contest on their platform, it was in recognition of his development focused governance adding that the governor deserves a second term.
“I am an entrepreneur and I can tell you authoritatively that the fortunes of small businesses in Edo State have improved significantly. And all over the world, a state that wants to develop economically, empowers small and medium scale businesses because they create the most jobs” he said.
“As an entrepreneur who has run a restaurant and a school, I can project that the 13,000 MSMEs that benefited from the N2bn funding have collectively created more than 40,000” he said.
According to him, beyond the support to SMEs, the governor’s drive to retool the education system in Edo state will disrupt the development trajectory in the state positively in the near future.
“The National Union of Teachers (NUT) awarded Obaseki as the most education friendly governor 2019 for reforms and innovations in the education sector. The award recognized the Edo State education reform which is focused on driving quality learning through technology, teachers and students motivation” he said adding that education remains the bedrock for the development of any nation.