Business
Jigawa Completes 45 Rural Electrification Projects
The Jigawa government says it has completed 45 out of the 63 rural electrification projects embarked upon since inception three years ago and connected them to the national grid.
Alhaji Jinjiri Abdulkadir, the Commissioner for Rural Infrastructure and Community Development, disclosed this on Saturday in Dutse while briefing the Peer Review Team from the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) Secretariat.
The team was in the state in continuation of its peer review and project inspection exercise initiated in 2009 by the 36 state governors to review their developmental projects and other activities.
According to Abdulkadir, the electrification projects in the remaining 18 villages were at various stages of completion.
He said the projects was estimated at more than N1 billion.
He said the government had also provided electricity extension to some urban areas in the state, which, he said, included Birnin-Kudu, Bamania, Hadejia and Dutse.
He also told the team that the government, through its Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency in collaboration with Donor Agencies, had provided water facilities to 560 communities at a cost of more than N657.2 million in the past three years.
Abdulkadir said that as part of its developmental programme, the government had approved more than N800 million in its 2010 budget for rural development.
The sum, he said, would be used for the construction of more feeder roads, development of small scale entrepreneur, rural electrification, water supply and sanitation between 2010 and 2012.
Mr Asishana Okauru, NGF Director General, who led the team to the state, said the exercise was aimed basically at deepening democracy and good governance in the country.
He added that it was also to encourage healthy competition among the governors to ensure equal development across the country.
The team, he said, were expected to identify exceptions and best practices in areas of agriculture, health, education, water, budgeting and other developmental issues that could be benchmarked from states visited.
Okauru said that the identified best practices would be made available to states where they were lacking for replication at the end of the exercise as the report would be submitted to the governors.
The team had earlier visited 27 out of the 36 states in the country.
The facility will be disbursed through participating Microfinance Institutions (MFIs), which will in turn extend the loans to their customers, particularly SMEs, as they directly interface with businesses at the grassroots level.
The Executive Director of COMCIN, Mr. Micheal Ogbaa who represented the Chairman, Dr. Iredele Oyedele (FCA, FCCA), said the initiative is designed to strengthen micro-lending institutions and expand access to finance for grassroots entrepreneurs, particularly women and youths in the informal sector.
Ogbaa explained that COMCIN does not lend directly to individuals but works through its network of microfinance and cooperative institutions, which in turn provide loans to end users.
“We came together to advocate for the microfinance ecosystem. Commercial banks often exclude people at the grassroots, but our members are positioned to reach them. This facility will empower them to do more,” he said.
He noted that the loan scheme offers low interest rates and flexible repayment plans, making it more accessible to small business owners.
According to him, about 90 percent of beneficiaries are expected to be women, who play a key role in sustaining families and driving economic activities at the local level.
“Our focus is on traders, service providers, and players in the informal sector. These are the real movers of the economy. By supporting them, we are strengthening families and contributing to national development,” he added.
Ogbaa disclosed that eligible SMEs with proven integrity and business track records could access up to N5 million each through participating micro-lending institutions. The rollout has commenced in Lagos and will extend to Abuja, Enugu, and other regions, including the South-West, South-East, and North-East.
He said 12 micro-lending institutions have already benefited from the scheme, while 85 applications are currently being processed under the pilot phase.
“Our target is to reach at least 100,000 SMEs nationwide. We are building a platform that connects funding partners with credible micro-lending institutions, creating a reliable channel for financial inclusion,” Ogbaa said.
He added that COMCIN is also working to attract larger funding pools from development finance institutions and private investors, noting that successful implementation of the pilot phase would boost confidence and unlock more capital for SMEs.
“We have seen encouraging testimonies from early beneficiaries. As we demonstrate transparency and efficiency, more institutions will be willing to channel funds through us,” he said.
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