By Bashir Hassan Abubakar
As part of its sustainability plan to pick up from where the Global Affairs Canada funded project in Bauchi State titled “MEDA Savings and Loans Group” (SLG) stops, Bauchi State Government, under it’s Agency for Sustainable Microfinance has began a 3 day Linkage meeting with MEDA’s SLG’s Village Agents (VAs) and Desk officers (DOs) with a view to mainstreaming them with the Agency’s VAs and DOs.
While giving an overview of the Agency’s Microfinance Institutions Building for Poverty Reduction (MIFIN) Program at the Hazibal Hotel Conference Hall Tuesday 25th October, 2022, Director General of the State Agency for Sustainable Microfinance, Alhaji Nura Muhammad Dan’madami said that under the MIFIN program, the Agency will facilitate interest free loans from microfinance institutions for community SLGs that engages in small businesses with a view to improving their economic status and improving their living standards in the process.
The DG said that the state government is interested in continuing with MEDA’s Savings and Loans Group program which has recorded a tremendous success.
“Under the Agency’s MIFIN program, the Agency will inherit the good practices from the already established MEDA’s Village Savings and Loan Groups (SLG), upscale it and replicate the same thing in the entire state in addition to the existing seven LGAs MEDA is implementing”, said the DG.
Dan’madami also said the meeting has equally afforded the Agency to meet with MEDA’s Village Agents and Desk officers with a view to creating synergy and linkages for successful implementation of the Agency’s MIFIN Program.
Also speaking , Value Chain Manager, MEDA Nigeria WAY Project, Stephanie Wealth Ekanem said, MEDA is excited with the interest demonstrated by the the State Government to continue from where our intervention stops, pointing out that, “this is inline with MEDA’s sustainability plan”.
She said the objective of the linkage meeting was to further strengthen the capacity of the Village Agents and Desk Officers and also create an avenue for the old and new VAs and DOs to meet, learn and acquaint themselves.
Ekanem said that over the years MEDA had built the capacity of some community based cooperative societies in value chain management that focuses on rice, soybeans and groundnuts production.
“It is heart-warming to note that the Savings and Loan Groups (SLG) MEDA started in some selected LGAs of Bauchi State will be upscale and replicated by the State Government. We are happy with the collaboration”, said Ekanem.
In a Goodwill message, the state commissioner of budget and planning Aminu Hammayo ,represented by the permanent secretary in the ministry, Alhaji Sale Idris Giade said that the meeting was in fulfilment of an MoU signed by MEDA and the State Agency, aimed at sustaining the good work of MEDA.
Hammayo then called on both the new and old VAs and DOs to work together for the success of the state governments MIFIN program.
Participants were taken through presentations that centered around the collaboration between MEDA and MIFIN, Roles and Responsibilities of VAs, DOs and FOs. Other presentations were focused on data collection tool kits and baseline. There were also feedback, comments question and answers from participants
Our correspondent reports that the meeting will continue with VAs and DOs from other Local Government Areas of the State