From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
In keeping with his promise to provide soft loans to women in Imo State to assist them grow their small scale businesses in order to reduce poverty and stimulate economic activities amongst rural women across the state, Governor Rochas Okorocha recently gave N100,000 to 110 women from the Njaba Local Government Area.
Mrs. Henrietta Jacobs, chairman of the State Board of Internal Revenue and the State Development Council (SDC) coordinator for Njaba council, who represented Governor Okorocha, disclosed that the loan was part of the N1billion provided by the state government for the empowerment of at least 10,000 women who are involved in small and medium scale businesses across the state.
She pointed out that since the inception of the administration of Okorocha, the state had moved from its 23rd position as the least economically developed state to third position on the list of the highly developed states as result of the policy of free and compulsory education at all levels.
She advised beneficiaries to ensure that they invest the loan facility into their businesses to enable them pay back in order to get bigger amount in return.
Mrs Akowuchi Juliet from Okwudor thanked Governor Okorocha for the loan.
“It will assist us in our businesses because it is not easy to get even a N50,000 loan from the microfinance banks without a collateral, and even at that, the repayment interests are very high. So, we are grateful to Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha for the initiative,” she said.
Mrs Adaku Mbagwu, from Ibele Umuaka said the loan would assist them in their various businesses and by extension reduce poverty particularly amongst women that constitute the larger percentage of the population in the state.
She promised to pay back the loan within the stipulated period.