The Ogun State government says it will soon begin the first phase of a N1 billion operational grant payment to micro and small business operators chosen from the state’s 20 local government areas.
Mr Dapo Okubadejo, the State Commissioner for Finance and Chief Economic Adviser, stated at a stakeholders engagement in Abeokuta that the World Bank-backed grant was to facilitate recovery and enhance MSE capabilities for employment retention and job creation post-COVID-19.
Okubadejo revealed that over 3,500 successful micro and small business applicants would get a maximum of N100,000 and N350,000 respectively, under the Ogun State COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (OG-CARES) programme.
While assuring that the selection process would be open, transparent and fair, the Commissioner added that priority would be given to women, youths and persons living with disabilities.
“We will ensure that all the beneficiaries are carefully selected and they represent a broader spectrum of all our people that have been specifically affected. All have been affected, but some are more affected. So, we are targeting those people particularly”, Okubadejo added.
Okubadejo who is also the Chairman, Steering Committee, OG-CARES, maintained that the reverberating effect of COVID-19 which is yet to abate and had affected several businesses especially small and micro enterprises, not only in the state, but the world at large, informed the State government intervention.
He further submitted that there would be periodic verification by independent agents after disbursement to ensure that beneficiaries deploy the grant judiciously and ensure continuity of their businesses.