The Kayode Fayemi-led government in Ekiti State has affirmed its readiness to partner any Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that will be committed to the overall development of its people and economy.
Commissioner for Investment, Trade and Industry, Chief David Olusoga gave the affirmation at a meeting with the leadership of Worldwide Entrepreneurship Stability Support Foundation (WWESS-F); an Abuja based non-governmental organization, led by its President, Prince Olusola Adesola, in his office in Ado-Ekiti.
Olusoga, who said that the state has been witnessing downward slide in the allocation accruing from the federation account in the recent times, posited that the Governor Kayode Fayemi was always willing to join hands with individuals and groups that shared the same vision of human and physical transformation of the state in the shortest time frame.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Barr Bamidele Arowosola, lauded the initiatives of the organization in its promise to facilitate funds to support young entrepreneurs in Ekiti to grow their businesses.
He said that the Ministry, through the Commissioner, would brief the governor on the proposal for possible approval, adding that the gesture would bring a lot of relief to government in the areas of job creation alongside wealth creation and management.
Earlier, the President of WWESS-F, Prince Olusola Adesola, has said that his organization was in the state to fashion out partnership with necessary stakeholders and government agencies to access the Conditional Grants Scheme (CGS) of the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDAN) for the funding of Young Business Owners (Y-BON) in Ekiti State.
Adesola, a native of Ikoro Ekiti, explained that his NGO will source for the funding through donor individuals and groups and as well serve as a link between the State Government and SMEDAN, while the state
He said further that there shall be a joint account with SMEDAN and the State Government to ensure the success of the recently launched CGS by SMEDAN to promote Small and Medium Scale Enterprises as well as Y-BON programmes, to empower business owners within the age 20 and 45 years in the state.
According to the NGO’s President, the schemes would reduce unemployment among youths, make them employers of labour rather than employees and also boost the economic realities of the state.
He called for speedy consideration of WWESS-F intention so as to sign a memorandum of understanding among all stakeholders for early take off of the schemes in Ekiti State.
Packaged by Emmanuel Adeniran
