UYO
Akwa Ibom State Government has declared that it is poised to ensure that optimal number of indigenes of the state are eligible to benefit from the support grants provided by the World Bank scheme for Medium Scale Enterprises, MSEs as post COVID-19 recovery intervention, under the Bank of Industries, BOI.
The Ministry of Trade and Investment in Collaboration with Akwa Ibom COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (AK-CARES) made the declaration recently during a 3- day Sensitization Workshop for stakeholders of MSEs across the state.
The exercise was organized for 150 stakeholders of MSEs in each of the three Senatorial Districts – Ikot Ekpene, Eket and Uyo to educate them on AK-CARES Registration and Vetting procedures as required by the Bank of Industry (BOI) with a view to changing the narrative of eligible beneficiaries across the state positively from 20 percent out of 33,696 MSEs that had registered for the scheme across the state.
The sensitization campaign had become necessary as a result of low eligibility of prospective beneficiaries in the state caused by wrong upload of business documents to access the support grants.
The exercise was therefore organized to provide awareness, guidance and correct information to Stakeholders of MSEs on AK-CARES Registration/ Vetting requirements by BOI to improve the chances of prospective beneficiaries of the grant across the state.
Declaring the workshop open in Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, the commissioner for trade and investment, Engr Camillus Umoh called on the Stakeholders to ensure a successful implementation of AK-CARES in their communities.
Umoh who acknowledged the roles of stakeholders in business promotion and growth, adjudged the forum as a veritable platform to enlighten potential beneficiaries of AK-CARES programme on issues relating to difficulties and problems often encountered during vetting processes and how to solve them. He implored the participants to make good use of the lectures at the workshop to help them upload correct business documents on BOI portal so as to benefit from the grants.
He used the forum to applaud the State Governor, Mr UdomEmmanuel for his interest in MSEs through the implementionof AK-CARES programme in the State.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Economic Development, Mr. Emem Bob and Chairman of the State Steering Committee of AK – CARES, represented by the secretary of the committee, Mrs. Enobong Okponkpong, told the participants that uploading incorrect information could jeopardize their eligibility and acceptability for the grant and advised them to make good use of the workshop to better the second chance offered to them.
The permanent secretary, Ministry of Trade and Investment, MrOliver Udoukpo, appreciated the participants for attending the workshop even at short notice and commended the Ministry of Trade and Investment on the timely and well-thought out sensitization to guide and educate the Stakeholders adequately on how to upload business documents successfully.
In Eket Senatorial District, the Programme Manager, Mr. Michael Essien -Ibanga, who represented the commissioner, noted that the essence of the exercise was to upgrade the participants knowledge on the AK-CARES uploading procedures and enjoined all to avail themselves of the opportunity and learn from their mistakes.
He particularly noted that most of the rejected forms by BOI were from Eastern Obolo Local Government Area and solicited the cooperation of all stakeholders in the awareness campaign to fill the state quota with more eligible prospective beneficiaries.
In Uyo senatorial district, the commissioner sued for utmost attention by the participants as it would help them solve those challenges they met during vetting process, which had impeded their eligibility for the programme.
The exercise featured goodwill messages from Barr. Joe Ukpong- a former member of the state executive council, currently the Deputy President, Uyo Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (UYOCCIMA) and Mr. Godwin Udom – Chairman, Akwa Ibom Technical Schools Board, commending the State Government on the AK-CARES programme, noting that it would mitigate the negative effects of COVID-19 pandemic on businesses, as they called on the potential beneficiaries to work hard towards fulfilling eligibility criteria of BOI.
Three presentations were made at each of the centres – TheGeneral Outlook of AK-CARES – The journey so far; The Eligibility Criteria ; and Required Business/ Accounting documents and Vetting by the resource persons.
The workshop had in attendance, All Directors from the Ministry of Trade and Investment , Representatives of NAADI, UYOCCIMA, SMEDAN, Captains of IndIndustrieBusinessOrganizations and Local Government Enterprise Development Coordinators across the state, among others.
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