By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The Anambra State Government over the weekend announced plans to initiate low-interest loans to support Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the state.

The State Commissioner for Industry, Trade and Investment, Christian Udechukwu, made the disclosure while declaring open, a one-day Anambra Small Business Summit with the theme: ?Enhancing the Growth of Small Business for Job and Wealth Creation, held at King David Hotel Awka.

He said that the idea was borne out of Governor Chukwuma Soludo?s vision of making Anambra a prosperous homeland in Nigeria.

Udechukwu explained that the mandate of the ministry was to enhance businesses for the creation of jobs and wealth, adding, "The ministry under my watch, we have funds that we have made available to micro, small, medium and large enterprises.

?For micro businesses, you can apply from zero to NN10 million. It is funded by the Anambra State government and the Bank of Industry.

"To access more than N10 million loan the business owner has to register with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and also own assets."

While emphasising the need for small business owners in the state to register with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDAN) and Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME), the commissioner noted that the measure would enable the loan seekers access the various low interest loans available in the state.

According to him, Soludo government is building structures that would promote the non-oil sector through small scale businesses and agriculture.

Ealier in her address, the State SMEDAN Coordinator, Mrs Chito Onuzuluike, said it was unfortunate that small business owners in the state do not take advantage of the opportunities abound in the agency to boost their operations.

She regretted that SMEDAN plan to help in the development of small scale businesses in the state is being hindered by lackadaisical attitude coming from business owners.

On his part, the Head of Corporate Affairs Commission, (CAC) in the state, Mr Kingsley Ahamefula noted that business registration was important in order to be recognised locally and internationally.

In a short speech, the State Chairman of the National Association of Small Medium Enterprise (NASME), Chinemerem Oguegbe said the summit was first of its kind, being organised by the private sector to provide solutions to the challenges of doing business in Anambra State.

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