30th October, 2017
The Ebonyi government announced on Monday said that 7,000 indigenes had benefited from the state’s micro-economic empowerment programmes.
The Commissioner for Economic Empowerment and Job Creation, Mr Uchenna Orji, in Abakiliki said that the beneficiaries were made up of 4,000 widows and 3,000 women and youths.
He said that the beneficiaries were drawn from the 13 Local Government Areas of the state.
Orji said the government floated the empowerment scheme, to assist widows and youths in poverty alleviation.
According to him, the government has disbursed N400 million for widows in the scheme, while 3,000 women and youths received N250,000.
He said that the administration of Gov. Dave Umahi was committed to providing economic safety nets to poor, unemployed widows, women and youths.
Orji said the money given for the empowerment was non-refundable but noted that the ministry had developed mechanisms to assess how beneficiaries utilised the grants.
“The money we give out is meant to be invested in small-scale businesses and we have a way of checking how the beneficiaries invest these monies.
“The whole idea is to empower the indigent members of the state and hence it is expected that beneficiaries of the empowerment will invest their grants wisely.
“We have a monitoring team from the ministry that moves round and visits business areas of the beneficiaries to assess the level of progress in the chosen business field.
“We are committed to enhancing the welfare and well-being of the citizens especially the rural poor.”
He explained that the scheme was a strategy developed by the government to tackle poverty and unemployment.
Orji appealed for continued support for the Umahi administration to enable him deliver on his campaign promises.
“The governor believes that it is the inalienable right of every citizen of the state to have access to quality and better healthy living hence his declaration of war against poverty.
“Our economic empowerment programmes are geared toward assisting vulnerable members of the society, especially jobless widows, women and youths to engage their energies in profitable business activities.’’