By Daniel Dauda, Jos



Director General of Plateau State micro finance development agency (PLASMIDA), Dr. Haggai Gotau said the state is working assiduously to ensure about 38,000 beneficiaries benefit from the Federal Government N75 billion intervention funds.

You would recall recently the Federal Government make a pronouncement that N75 billion intervention funds is set aside for Micro, small and medium enterprises MSMEs amidst coronavirus pandemic that ravaged economic globally.

 Speaking Friday during a one day sensitization workshop for the union of transporters and artisans at Azi Nyako, Youth Center Dadin Kowa, Jos South LGA, the DG PLASMIDA said the administration of Governor Simon Lalong is a transport business friendly.

He acknowledged Nigerian economy cannot survive without the MSMEs, calling on the participants to ensure a proper registration of their various union with corporate affairs commission(CAC), for them to have access to the intervention funds.

         A Section of participants at the workshop


According to him,"We are here in respect of the N75 billion intervention funds given by the Federal Government to meet the needs of an MSMEs who were affected by COVID-19, because it has affected the economic to an extent where by this critical sectors needs to get intervention from government to enable them sustain the existing business. So, it is based on that.

"Of course, this thing commence since 21st September, 2020,  and as it is today were being able to enroll about ten thousand people from Plateau State which very soon the programme is going to be flag of. And as it is now we just finished enlightenment sensitization for artisans and road transport businesses because they contribute a lot to the economic development of the state. So we have been working with them and by the design Plateau State supposed to provide about 9,009 beneficiaries in complement of the intervention. 

"And I want to say that we are ready to get even more than that number allocated to the state because we get quite a number of artisans on the Plateau and also the transport business men and women.

"In Plateau State we are expecting 38,000 beneficiaries to benefit from the programme. And based on the various tracks that have been air mark for Plateau in Naira and Kobo I may not be able to say this is the amount, but all I want to say is that about 38,000 beneficiaries are going to benefit from this intervention from Plateau State. 

"So far 10,000 people have already been enrolled.
And we engaged the association of artisans and those that are on transport business across the 17 Local Government Areas", Gotau concluded.