By Egena Sunday Ode
The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has reaffirmed the unwavering focus of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on building inclusive prosperity through enterprise-driven reforms in Nigeria.
“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.
Senator Shettima stated this on Tuesday when he launched the 9th Expanded National MSME Clinic in Katsina State, just as he announced President Tinubu’s approval of Federal Government’s N250,000 grant for each outstanding Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) exhibiting at the Clinic.
He said the grant approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is part of his administration’s renewed efforts to strengthen the backbone of Nigeria’s economy and promote inclusive growth, Spokesman to the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, said in a statement on Tuesday.
Speaking during the launch of the Expanded MSME Clinic, VP Shettima disclosed that the administration has introduced several other major support programmes, including a N75 billion Manufacturers Fund to provide financial support to businesses in the manufacturing sector, according to the statement.
The Vice President said the N250,000 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 N250,000 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.
VP Shettima announced that under the Rural Area Programme on Investment for Development (RAPID), 23 MSMEs in rural Katsina had received N112 million in support to scale up their operations.
He further disclosed that the N5 billion Katsina State MSME Growth Fund, a joint initiative between the Federal and State Governments, had already disbursed N576 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.
