The Federal Government has launched the 9th Expanded National Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Clinic in Katsina State.
This is just as President Bola Tinubu approved a N250,000 grant for each outstanding MSME exhibiting at the Clinic.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who performed the official launch of the Clinic on Tuesday, said the grant approved by President Bola Tinubu was part of his administration’s renewed efforts to strengthen the backbone of Nigeria’s economy and promote inclusive growth.
“We are building a nation where every Nigerian entrepreneur — from our cities to our rural communities — has access to the tools and opportunities needed to thrive. This is the spirit of enterprise that will drive Nigeria’s renewed hope,” he declared.
In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to The President on Media & Communications, Office of The Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima also mentioned that the administration has introduced several other major support programmes, including a ₦75 billion Manufacturers Fund to provide financial support to businesses in the manufacturing sector.
The VP, according to the statement, said the ₦250,000 grant is a non-repayable intervention designed to empower innovative entrepreneurs and support the administration’s drive for enterprise-led national transformation.
“His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has approved an unconditional grant of ₦250,000 for each outstanding MSME exhibiting at today’s clinic. This is a non-repayable grant. It reflects the President’s commitment to removing the barriers that have historically held back our MSMEs,” he said.
In his address titled, “Katsina: The Spirit of Enterprise,” the Vice President described MSMEs as the foundation of national foresight and a vital pillar of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“We came into office bearing the promise to ease the affairs of our nation, and our gateway to this is the assurance of support for our businesses. Our micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises stand as the foundation of this foresight, and that explains our presence here in Katsina today,” he said.
He commended Governor Dikko Umaru Radda for his leadership and innovation in enterprise development, noting that the establishment of the Katsina State Enterprise Development Agency (KASEDA) demonstrated a strong commitment to building a thriving business ecosystem.
Shettima announced that under the Rural Area Programme on Investment for Development (RAPID), 23 MSMEs in rural Katsina had received ₦112 million in support to scale up their operations.
He further disclosed that the ₦5 billion Katsina State MSME Growth Fund, a joint initiative between the Federal and State Governments, had already disbursed ₦576 million to 237 beneficiaries since its launch in June 2024.
“This matching fund is designed to boost local businesses, and Katsina has shown that it understands what it means to empower entrepreneurs,” Shettima said.
Earlier, Governor Dikko Radda said the priority accorded to MSMEs in the state stemmed from the acknowledgement of the impact of MSMEs on economic growth, noting that enterprise development remains a cornerstone of his administration’s blueprint which is transforming over 100,000 small businesses across the state.
While appreciating the commitment and passion of the Vice President for MSME development in Nigeria, the governor assured that the state government will continue to nurture and track the progress of all participants of the 9th MSME clinics to ensure that their growth is sustained and their needs of market access and business development.
On his part, the Special Adviser to the President on Job Creation and MSME, Mr Temitola Adekunle-Johnson, said the Tinubu administration is coordinating development partners and stakeholders to address bottlenecks facing small business entreprenuers across the country.
He said issues around access to finance and market outreach are progressively being addressed through specialised government interventions and target programmes of the Federal Government.
