ILORIN – The Kwara State Government has distributed working equipment and loans worth N50 million to 500 members of 35 artisan groups.
Gov. Abdulfattah Ahmed said this Sunday while distributing tools at the first anniversary of Kwara Artisans Congress.
According to the governor, the initiative was to empower artisans and ensure that their potentials as major players in the economy of the state were enhanced.
Ahmed said the N50 million intervention fund was in addition to the N100 million disbursed to the congress when it was formed last year.
He added that other forms of empowerment initiatives were being arranged for the benefits of the artisans.
On the significance of the empowerment, the governor said since each of the 500 members would have at least two employees, about 1,500 people were expected to benefit from the scheme.
The governor expressed satisfaction that the administration’s N250 million Revolving Micro Credit Scheme, launched in 2012, had grown to N700 million.
He said the scheme had successfully empowered 48,000 small business owners in the process.
Gov. Ahmed noted that 47 artisan groups and 100 transporters had also benefitted from the funds.
According to him, another set of 170 farmers now had thriving agriculture business following the disbursement of N215 million in micro- credit.
The President of the congress, Alhaji Abdullahi Lanky, at the occasion, said the formation of the orgnisation had enabled artisans in the state to work with unity of purpose. (NAN)