CROSS RIVER GIVES WOMAN GROUPS N400MILLION The Cross River State Ministry of Women Affairs has said that it has disbursed N100m micro-credit loan to 105 accredited women farmers’ co-operative societies in the state. The state Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Edak Iwuchukwu, said this on Saturday in Calabar, the state capital, while briefing journalists on the activities of the ministry. Iwuchukwu said the disbursement was done in collaboration with the State Medium Scale Enterprises Development Agency and the Awake Project, adding that it was aimed at empowering the women to expand their farms. She said, “The ministry has embarked on a state-wide sensitisation exercise of women to facilitate the formation of women cooperative societies so as to enhance their development initiatives and open credit windows for them. “After the exercise, 415 agro business women cooperatives were verified and accredited by the ministry and handed over to MEDA and the Awake project for empowerment to expand their farms. “Four hundred of the cooperatives are expected to access credit at MEDA. However, after inspection of farms and documentation, 105 of the cooperatives were certified to access credit. The sum of N400m has been disbursed to the 105cooperatives.” She said that the remaining cooperatives would access their loans as soon as they complete their documentations with the assessment team currently in the field. The commissioner added that N200m had been set aside for the purpose, adding that women cooperative societies with bias for trading were being verified and accredited for the same purpose. She said that the state government had entered into agreement with the Women Development Centre, Abuja; and the Japanese International Development Cooperation to reactivate the three women development centres in the state. According to her, the centres, located in the three senatorial zones, OGOJA, ABI and AKAMKPA, were meant to serve the vocational skills training needs of women in the state.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Aug 2013 09:21:46 +0000
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