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1000 Kwara traders, artisans to get N1bn soft loans

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Ismaila Sanni
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Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq

At least 1000 traders, marketers and artisans will benefit from a N1 billion soft loan to run their businesses under the Kwara State Social Investment Programme (KWASSIP) under consideration by the State House of Assembly.

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq made this known on Thursday.

AbdulRazaq said at a maiden breakfast meeting with journalists in Kwara State that the focus of his administration centred around human capital and infrastructural development which would attract investments, combat poverty and take Kwara to the top of the table of revenue generation and competitiveness.

He listed his major landmarks to include fixing the perennial water crisis within Ilorin metropolis, taking Kwara State out of its pariah status as the least performing state in the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) ranking, getting contractors back to work to complete abandoned or uncompleted projects, paying counterpart funds that have changed the story of the state in health and education sector, paying years of arrears owed colleges of education, and reaccreditaion of the state’s tertiary institutions, among others.

AbdulRazaq said his administration had done those things without touching the N4.8bn it inherited from the previous government.

He said the fund was reserved to kickstart the state’s social security programme and putting basic infrastructure in place.

“Under the Kwara State Social Investment Programme, for instance, we plan to spend N1bn to help traders and artisans with soft loans. We are looking at roughly 1000 beneficiaries of such soft loan. We cannot watch while our people are suffering. We have to do something in that regard,” he said at the event attended by top government officials and party leaders that included by Deputy Governor Kayode Alabi; Secretary to the Government Prof. Mamman Sabah Jibril; Chief of Staff to the Governor Aminu Adisa Logun; Head of Service Mrs Susan Modupe Oluwole; and All Progressives Congress (APC) Chairman Bashiru Bolarinwa.

The Speaker, the Chief Judge, and the Grand Khadi were represented at the event.

AbdulRazaq also said Kwarans should expect something concrete on cabinet formation from next week, saying the delay had been due to wide consultations with all stakeholders within the ruling party and dismissing claims of rancour within its ranks.

Dwelling extensively on his development priorities, he said the recent budget review and the 2020 budget would help redirect funding for infrastructural projects that fit into his campaign promises to the people.

He said the World Bank had indicated interest in supporting the scheme which was the first of such state-led initiative modelled after the Federal Government Social Investment Programme which components included TraderMoni, MarketMoni, and FarmerMoni, among other supports for small and medium scale businesses.

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