The Ebonyi State government has lauded the Federal Government for introducing and sustaining the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Survival Fund and urged entrepreneurs to ensure they benefit from it.
Gov. David Umahi gave the commendation on Wednesday in Abakaliki at a town hall meeting with the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and relevant stakeholders.
The meeting aimed at sensitising those charged with the responsibility of creating awareness about Federal Government programmes for MSMEs.
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Represented by his Special Assistant on SMEs, Mr Peter Mbam, the governor said Ebonyi was ready to support the scheme to achieve more economic growth.
In his contribution, Mr Chigozie Asochukwu, SMEDAN’s Coordinator in Ebonyi, explained that the MSMEs Survival Fund was a component of the Nigerian Economic Sustainability Plan (NESP).
He said the NESP was developed by a Federal Government’s Economic Sustainability Committee in March.
“The Survival Fund was generally designed to support vulnerable MSMEs in meeting their different obligations and to safeguard jobs in the sector.
“The enumeration for the second stream of states, which include Ebonyi under the Artisan Support Scheme, has started.
“I urge you to cooperate with the enumerators. The enumerators are compiling the list of artisans through their association leaders. All artisans are expected to liaise with their association leaders to document their details,’’ Asochukwu said.
The Federal Government Artisans Support Scheme is to benefit about 9,000 artisans in each state of the federation and the FCT.
Mr Stephen Eze, an enumerator for the MSMEs Survival Fund, urged the general public to embrace the opportunity.
In his own contribution, Mr Eze Friday, Ebonyi Chairman, Artisans Association, said the MSMEs Survival Fund Scheme was a welcome development and urged members to register.