THE Nigeria’s Bank of Industry (BOI) has confirmed the operations of 23 Business Development Service Providers in the North Central geopolitical zones for the packaging of bankable business proposals.

Managing Director, Bank of Industry (BOI) Mr. Rasheed Olaoluwa, has disclosed that loan disbursement by the bank to entrepreneurs under its Micro Small and Medium Enterprises Fund (MSME) in Niger State now stood at N497million.

Apart from the matching fund, he also added that the bank also disbursed direct loans in excess of N225.0 million to enterprises in the state.

Olaoluwa, who spoke while commissioning the BOI’s Niger State office in Minna last week, stated that the intervention was to enable entrepreneurs harness the potential in the state to industrial scale.

He also explained that apart from approving N44million for the deployment of off-grid micro system in Bisanti, a community in the state, the bank had identified SME clusters in areas such as Shea Butter, Yam, Soya Bean, Rice, Sugar Cane, Melon, Fish, Groundnut and Cassava.

According him, the deployment of the solar based technology in the state would help to provide energy need for the industry, particularly the segment that has no access to the national grid.

The BOI boss said that the objective of the interventions of the bank in the state was to promote job creation and rapid industrialisation just as he urged the state entrepreneurs to make use of the services of the 23 Business Development Service Providers established in the North Central geopolitical zones for the packaging of bankable business proposals.

Giving the update on the MSME fund, which is jointly funded by the development finance institution and Niger State, Olaoluwa noted that while the bank received 263 loan applications amounting to N2.5 billion, 116 loan applications, amounting to N497.0 million were approved.

“In terms of developmental impact, he further noted, “an estimated 615 direct and 683 indirect jobs totaling 1,298 jobs have been created thus far.”

Speaking on the economic potential of the state, the financial expert noted that “the most valued assets of Niger State are its fertile land and water resources, being largely an agrarian state with agricultural products like Shea nut, Soya Bean, Groundnut, Yam, Cassava, Rice, Cotton, Sesame Seed, among others.

“The State is also blessed with mineral resources such as Gold, Copper, Iron, Silica, Clay, Marble, Talc, Feldspar, Lead, Kaolin, Cassiterite, Mica and Granite.

Niger State therefore has a great potential to support a wide range of agro-processing and other industries that can spur sustainable industrialisation and accelerated Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) development.”

Also speaking, one of the loan beneficiaries, Dr. John Akanya stated that he ventured into bread production in order to show to his people how standards help to promote businesses.

Akanya, who is the immediate past Director General of Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), commended the bank for the transparent ways in which loan application is being process