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In a groundbreaking initiative to empower Nano, Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (NMSMEs) in Enugu State, the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and the Enugu State Government have joined forces to launch a N1 billion Matching Fund Programme.

The signing ceremony was held at the SMEDAN headquarters in Abuja recently by the Director General of SMEDAN, Mr. Charles Odii and the Special Adviser to the Enugu State Governor on MSMEs, Mr Arinze Chiloh-Offiah, marking a significant stride towards entrepreneurial development and economic growth in the state and region at large.

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The N1 billion fund aims to provide accessible, single-digit loans to NMSMEs, addressing a critical need for affordable business financing in the state.

Sterling Bank PLC has the responsibility of managing and disbursing the funds to qualified enterprises, ensuring that the initiative reaches its intended beneficiaries efficiently.

The strategic partnership is not just a financial mechanism but a significant step towards actualizing the broader economic development goals outlined in the Agenda for Enugu State. By focusing on NMSMEs, the programme taps into a vital sector that is often considered the backbone of economic growth, especially in emerging markets like Nigeria.

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The Matching Fund Programme is expected to have a transformative impact on the NMSME sector in Enugu State. By providing much-needed financial support, it will enable these enterprises to scale up, enhance their competitiveness, and contribute more significantly to the state’s economy. This initiative is also set to create more jobs, stimulate innovation, and foster a more inclusive economic environment.

His Excellency Dr. Governor Peter Mbah, highlighted the importance of NMSMEs in driving sustainable economic development. He expressed his administration’s commitment to creating an enabling environment where small and medium-sized businesses can thrive.

The collaboration between SMEDAN and ENSG, supported by Sterling Bank PLC, is a promising model for public-privateb partnerships aimed at economic development. It reflects a shared vision of empowering entrepreneurs and small business owners, who are essential to the state’s economic fabric.

As the programme rolls out, it is expected to usher in a new era of growth and prosperity for NMSMEs in Enugu State, aligning with the state’s vision of becoming a hub for enterprise and innovation in Nigeria.

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Kindly ensure your business is registered within the State MSME Database with the Enugu SME Center here www.enugusme.en.gov.ng/msmedata

Kindly note that more information on the N1 billion Matching Fund Program and eligibility criteria will be communicated shortly by the Enugu SME Center.

Enugu Gov’t suspends Aninri’s health worker over negligence, dereliction of duty

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The Enugu State Government, Tuesday, suspended Mrs Pascaline Njoku, a community health extension worker at Ameke Health Centre in Aninri Local Government Area over negligence and dereliction of duty.

This was as the Executive Secretary of the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, ESPHCDA, Dr Ifeyinwa Ani-Osheku, appealled to pregnant women to stop patronising traditional birth attendants, warning about the dangers associated with the practice.

The suspension of Mrs Njoku followed the report and findings by the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency over her absence from her duty post without authorisation and failure to attend to patients.

While communicating the decision to suspend the health worker in order to allow for a full-scale investigation, Dr. Ani-Osheku said Mrs Njoku’s absence from her duty post resulted to one Mrs Emeka Nkemdirim giving birth to twins in a car on her way to a private hospital at Awgu.

Dr. Ani-Osheku, who insisted that every healthcare worker must stay on their duty posts, said the new administration has been working round the clock to provide a better working environment and improved welfare for health workers in the state.

She commended the state governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, for ensuring that the needs of workers in the state are prioritised, saying the behaviour of Mrs Njoku deviated from the ethics of the profession and the principles espoused by the present administration.

Even though Mrs Emeka was immediately attended to by other healthcare workers after the delivery, the Executive Secretary visited the family of the mother of twins alongside the Chairman of the council area, Hon. Bennett Ajah, and other health workers to see how they were fairing as well as provide support to them.

She stated that government would sanction every staff involved in the dereliction of duty in line with the provisions of the Enugu State Public Service Rules, urging members of the public to seize the opportunity afforded by the state’s whistleblowing policy to report unethical behaviours observed anywhere in the public service.

She further advised pregnant women to desist from visiting traditional birth attendants for delivery as it is unsafe since most of them are not qualified to midwife delivery.

“This is a peculiar case. Visiting traditional birth attendants (TBAs) can lead to complications and worsen conditions of pregnant women during delivery as some of the practices are unwholesome and unprofessional. Even though the patient attended ante-natal care at the primary healthcare centre at Ameke Ofuma, she battled at the TBA’s house for almost three days until the matter got out of hand before they now decided to come to the primary healthcare centre.

“So, our women should see hospitals as the only place for safe delivery because of the trained professionals, who are on the ground to attend to them and manage crisis situations,” he added.

Felicitating the family of Mrs Njoku over her safe delivery, the Council Chairman, Hon. Ajah, while commending the Mbah administration for prioritising healthcare in the 2024 Budget, including the planned construction of 260 Type 2 primary healthcare centres in all the electoral wards, said that the Council would not tolerate negligence and dereliction of duty by health workers in local government.

He promised that his government would continue to work with the Mbah’s administration in improving the health and living standards of the council area.