by crossriverwatch admin
The Central of Nigeria, CBN says it has reserved sixty percent funds meant for entrepreneurial development programs across the country for the women to help build capacity to contribute meaningfully to the growth of individual families and the Nigerian economy.
Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Nigeria’s Central Bank governor stated this on Monday in Calabar at the commissioning of the CBN Entrepreneurial Development Center for the south south located there
Mallam Sanusi said with rising unemployment in the country, entrepreneurship development was the key in enhancing economic growth and women who are the core of the family are most often left behind; so to enhance their individual and family capacity to cope with increasing financial demand, more women would be trained and granted financial assistance as start up capital for them to start businesses.
The Central Bank governor noted that the entrepreneurial development centers are located in all the six geopolitical zones of the country to engage the youths in skill and managerial acquisition to effectively manage their own businesses to stem over reliance on paid employment by the teeming youths across the country.
Mr Sanusi said each of the centers is equipped with top level curricula to provide training and counseling for graduates and secondary school certificate holders for six and four weeks respectively to equip them with the capacity to start new businesses and also improve existing ones.
Senator Liyel Imoke, the Cross River State governor who cut the tape to declare the place open said the commencement of activities at the center was long and eagerly awaited by the people of the state because it has the capacity to invigorate economic activities not only in the state but the whole of south south region.
According to the governor, the center will serve as a major step towards fostering big business activities which the state has since become a hub for economic activities with its assumption of the toga of the preferred destination for business and leisure activities for both individual and corporate driven economy.
He said the edifice that houses the CBN Entrepreneurial Development Center had long been abandoned and was fast becoming an eye sore but with the acquisition of the place by his government a new lease of life has been injected into the place and made it an ideal premises for business development for the south south region.
“We need to actively pursue one serious ideal towards identifying and exploiting business activities in the region for the growth of our economy and this center is the ideal venue”.
Senator Imoke said with the recognition of the stark reality of the consequences of growing unemployment in the country there is need to create the much needed skill and “the spirit of entrepreneurship to provide opportunities for our youths for self employment and job creation”.
The Governor said he would partner with the CBN to establish Microfinace banks in all the local government areas of the state for the purpose of providing much needed funds for the entrepreneurship development.
“We are already partnering with the Bank of Industries, Bank of Agriculture and other notable financial institutions to provide our youths with seamless capacity to start up businesses just like we have sent 90 of our youths to Benin Republic for training in our partnership with Songhai farm and this EDC will serve as an effective collaboration with the Federal Government towards positioning our youths for wealth creation”.
He assured that the Center which the state government invested over 500 million Naira to acquire and rehabilitate to make it conducive to host the skill center will be the best in the country.
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