The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has said that about 240 persons in Benue state may soon benefit from the Nigerian Incentive Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) project.
The NDE State Coordinator in Benue, Musa Sadauki disclosed this during the flag off of the second phase of the Entrepreneurship Development Training Programmme (EDTP) organised by the Small Scale Enterprise Department on the NDE in Makurdi.
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Sadauki said each of the 240 persons may access N10 million under the project adding that the NDE had trained 98 beneficiaries that were on the verge of collecting their loans.
He explained that the NDE is training the candidates to equip them with basic business skills to make them effective in their business ventures.
According to him, “The flag-off ceremony we are witnessing, is the Phase 2 of the EDTP, which is a collaboration between NDE and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), under the Nigerian Incentive Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL)
“After the training, the prospective beneficiaries will be well equipped to write a bankable business plan and access the Agricultural Business Small and Medium Scale Enterprises Loans Scheme (AGSMEIS).
“Beneficiaries can access up to N10 million, depending on the viability of their business plan.”
The NDE Cordinator however, encouraged the 240 beneficiaries invited for the training to be committed to it to enable them acquire greater business skills to enhance their business success when they eventually obtain the loan.
Meanwhile, the Head of Department, Small Scale Enterprises, Francis Kwaghga observed that 98 other persons, who have already uploaded their business plan to the NIRSAL website, were on the verge of collecting their loans.
