……as VAs, DOs benefits from capacity training for sustainable practice
By Bashir Hassan Abubakar
The Director General of Bauchi State Agency for Sustainable Microfinance Alhaji Muhammad Nura Dan’madami (the Dan’madamin Katagum) has expressed the Agency’s optimism in sustaining the current structure set up by the Global Affairs Canada funded intervention under its Nigeria-WAY Project Bauchi State titled “Savings and Loans Group” (SLG) in Seven LGAs of the State.
Dan’madami stated this recently in a closing remarks that brought to an end a segmented capacity building training for Village Agents (VAs) and Desk officers (DOs) of the SLGs, held at the Conference Hall of Hazibal Hotel Bauchi.
The DG also said that the capacity training conducted has provided a platform for the Agency to interact with MEDA’s VAs, DOs and other key stakeholders in the SLGs activities.
He said MEDA’s Nigeria-WAY project has done an excellent job of not only establishing the SLGs but further inculcated the value of group savings in communities that has become a model to be applied to other communities where the SLGs did not reach.
“As a Government Agency, we intend to sustain MEDA’s SLGs model and further take it across the entire State.
“We plan to achieve this through the Agency’s Microfinance Institutions Building for Poverty Reduction (MIFIN) Program and we hope you would equally extend to us the same support and cooperation that you are according MEDA”, the DG said.
Speaking to our correspondent on the side line, the community and stakeholder liaison officer of MEDA, Mallam Iliya Shu’aibu said that the capacity training meeting was to further strengthen the capacity of microfinance cooperative societies across Bauchi State to access soft loans from financial institutions.
Shu’aibu also said that Bauchi State Government, through the Agency’s MIFIN program had signed an MoU with the Nigeria Way Project, on areas of technical support, training and mentoring of such cooperatives in the State.
“What you are seeing here today is the implementation of part of an MoU signed between Bauchi State Microfinance Agency and MEDA. It is also inline with our sustainability plan.
“You can see that the Agency staff are the ones taking lead in the facilitation of the training. Such interface builds trust and confidence among parties. I’m confident that the structures MEDA established would be sustain by the state government through the State microfinance Agency”, said Shu’aibu.
Our correspondent sought to hear the expectations of the participants and they all expressed their hope that the Agency would build and improve on what MEDA has done in their communities.
It was gathered that the capacity was aimed at deepening sustainable practice among VAs and DOs within MEDA’s implementing LGAs of Bauchi, Dass, Toro, Ganjuwa, Warji, Jama’are and Katagum.