The Governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji, has urged female business owners that the Ekiti State Government’s (EKSG) N1 billion Loan Initiative shouldn’t be perceived as a share of the national cake.
Mr. Oyebanji, while launching the loan scheme at the government house in Ado Ekiti, averred that the soft loan initiative was targeted at stimulating the economy and fully involving women in the evolving development process.
The governor, represented by his Deputy Chief Monisade Afuye, disclosed that the soft loan initiative was specifically designed to empower women, create jobs and wealth, ban poverty out of the state, and buffer the effect of a hard-bitten economy on the populace.
He told them that the soft loan offers succour to ease the problem they face in raising capital for the growth of businesses.
The governor added that the ingenious measure was to propel the beneficiaries’ businesses and for them to break even under the current harsh business environment, saying his government had also put adequate security measures in motion to protect investments and businesses in Ekiti.
The wife of the governor, Dr. Olayemi Oyebanji, said that the soft loan offers an opportunity to provide funding for entrepreneurs, saying every sector of the economy, like education, health, industry, and others, requires people to take loans for advancement.
The Commissioner for Trade, Investment, Industry, and Cooperatives, Mrs. Omotayo Adeola, said access to capital has always been the bane of business development in the state, saying this will help in defeating this barrier.
