BoI lifeline to Kaduna SMEs, MSMEs hits N47bn

In continuation of its support to entrepreneurs across the country, the Bank of Industry (BoI) said it has disbursed loans in excess of N47billion to support Kaduna State industrialists in the SMEs and MSMEs categories. Managing Director of BoI, Mr. Olukayode Pitan confirmed the figure at a meeting with the Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai.
According to him, the loan facility has saved engendered over 84,500 direct and indirect jobs.
The bank’s interventions cut across various sectors of the state’s economy such as Argo-business, petrochemical and gas, metal fabrication, infrastructure and solid minerals.
He listed the businesses that benefited to include, United Nigerian Textiles Plc, Special Sunrise Plastic, Ashwarina Genera Merchants Lmt, Chellco Industries Limited, Sundavic Metal Construction, and Mouka Foam Ltd.
“Collectively, as at August 31, 2017, the bank had provided loans in excess of N47billion to large, SMEs and MSMEs across the state with over 84,500 direct and indirect jobs created under the different funding windows such as BoI fund, BoI/KDSG Matching fund(KADSTEP), BoI-Dangote fund, GEEP(Market Moni), FGN MSME fund, YES-P fund and GEF fund.”
He told Governor El- Rufai that entrepreneurs were given loans for start up of Kaduna Start up Entrepreneurship Programme, KADSTED.
According to him, while utilisation stood at N16, 347,320 million in October 2016, it rose to N253, 781,365 million in August 2017, representing 1453 per cent increase.
He lamented that the programme had not reached the expected pace due to the inability of graduates under the KADSTEP programme to meet up with the pre-disbursement conditions.
Under the scheme, applicants are expected to deposit a mandatory 5 per cent of the loan value as cash collateral. It was initially pegged at 10 per cent, but was later reviewed to 5 per cent when it was discovered that some of the beneficiaries could not afford it.
Pitan called on the Governor to intervene, to further vary the collateral condition to enable the fund achieve its desired objective of raving up activities in the real sector of the state.
“The bank as usual, will continue to liaise with the office of the Senior Adviser/Counsellor to Governor el-Rufai on Investment on ways to further review the pre-conditions which will pave way to clear the huge outstanding approvals, thereby fast tracking the disbursement,” he said.
Pitan noted that the increase in the utilisation of the fund has enabled the bank to source proposal worth N335.5 million in the first instance, adding that it had commenced the appraisal process.
In his remark, Governor el-Rufai, commended the bank for its various interventions in the state, saying those helped in increasing the tempo of activities in the real sector of the state’s economy.