Tinubu Administration Will Support MSMEs—First Lady

First Lady Oluremi Tinubu

 First Lady , Remi Tinubu, has said that  administration of President Bola Tinubu will provide support for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the country.

She gave the assurance at the launching of the rebranded Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP) yesterday at the Presidential Villa.
The scheme, now called the Renewed Hope MSME Programme, provides interest and collateral-free loans to small-scale traders, farmers and other entrepreneurs.

According to her, such enterprises are "the bedrock of our economy" and provide "a platform for economic empowerment" for vulnerable Nigerians.

The first lady said that eliminating barriers to finance for MSMEs helps "create a more accessible and supportive environment" for people to grow their businesses.

She said, “It is in this regard, the rebranding of the three components of this programme is significant. Thus, Tradermoni (now rebranded Owo Oja or Olilanya Ndi Nagbambo or Tallafin Sana’a); Farmermoni (now rebranded Owoagbe or Olilanya Ndi Oru Ugbo or Tallafin Manoma); and Marketmoni (now rebranded Iyaloja or Nne Ahia or Agajin Yan Kasuwa).

"These rebranding drums home, especially among the womenfolk including traders and farmers, a deeper understanding and actual implication of the programme in our native languages.

"As I was informed that one of the strategic components of the Federal Government’s National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) is the Rebranded and Expanded Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), this Programme is expected to focus, amongst others, on offering interest and collateral-free loans to small scale entrepreneurs thereby providing financial inclusion and enabling individuals with limited resources to access much-needed capital for entrepreneurial endeavors.”

Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu, said the market - moni scheme is targeted at 1.5million beneficiaries across various states in the country and would cover all the 109 senatorial districts.