The Lagos State Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI), has held a two-day training for youths and women in the state in order to enable them to access the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s agribusiness credit facilities.
The state Commissioner for Agriculture, Abiola Olusanya who disclosed this recently, said the training was an all-inclusive training and 20 youths and women in various value chain were involved.
Olusanya said further that the two-day training was the first in the series for women and youths in the state, adding that it would help link the participants to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s agribusiness credit facilities.
The commissioner who was, represented by the Director, Agribusinesss in the ministry, Mrs Aramide Gansallo added that the training would also enable participants to have access to a single digit loan from the CBN’s Agribusiness Small and Medium Enterprise Investment Scheme (AGSMEIS).
She urged participants who would benefit from the CBN loans to judiciously utilise the funds on the intended purposes, either on an existing agribusiness or a new start-up.
The commissioner also called on the trainees to focus more on marketing of their products, which would in turn ensure profitability and subsequent sustainability of their agribusiness.
“One of the major outcomes of this training will be to ensure that trainees of the Ministry of Agriculture Entrepreneurship Development Institute boost their businesses by helping them facilitate loan through the AGSMEIS”, she said further..
In his remarks, Mr Dapo Olakulehin, General Manager, Lagos State Coconut Development Authority (LASCODA), commended the Agribusiness Department for successfully organising the training for intending beneficiaries in spite of challenges.
Olakulehin urged participants to embrace the opportunity with all seriousness to learn and get the best out of the training.
The general manager said that 60 per cent of the participants had been trained by LASCODA and practicing the Coconut-Shell based Arts and Crafts.
He said LASCODA fully funded the Coconut-Shell based Arts and Crafts, adding that the practitioners were the first trainees of the agribusiness department. (NAN)
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