Akwa Ibom Assures Small Businesses Of Better Days

From Mfon Ekefre, Uyo
The Akwa Ibom State government has re-asserted its commitment to promoting entrepreneurship in view of its value to sustainable development.
Finance Commissioner, Akan Okon made government decision known while addressing small business owners in the state.
Okon, who described small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as the engine room of the nation’s economy, said government would strive to stimulate the enabling business environment for enterprises to flourish “for our teeming unemployed youths to be engaged.”
He used the occasion to announce that government would soon commence the disbursement of the Central Bank SME loan earlier launched in the state to beneficiaries and called on those not captured in the first phase of the revolving loan scheme to wait for the next round.
He charged the small business owners to be good ambassadors of the state by enlightening the people at the grassroots of government programmes for them to be well informed and key into those activities.
He called on the people of the state to ensure all hands were on deck to ensure the development of the state.
National President of the small business owners, Mr. Samuel Archibong, said the group was an amalgamation of all forms of micro and small scale business and women in the state whose objective is to be self-employed, even in the midst of job scarcity.
While lauding government efforts within eight months in office, especially in securing loans for small-scale entrepreneurs which small business owners benefitted from, Archibong solicited the extension of the loan to more small business owners and pledged their readiness to create awareness on the lofty initiatives of the present administration.