The Lagos State Government said it has spent N10 billion in five years to empower vulnerable residents, especially women, through the Micro-Enterprise Support Initiative (MESI).
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu made this known yesterday in Ikeja, during the empowerment of 1,750 individuals through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation’s (WAPA’s) Initiative (MESI).
Sanwo-Olu said the initiative was a deliberate action of the government to uplift young entrepreneurs and support them with the needed tools to start their businesses.
He said: “I envision a Lagos where every young aspiring entrepreneur is employed or empowered, and I see this micro enterprise support as one of the critical avenues to reach young people in the state. We have spent close to N10 billion to buy various equipment in a period of five years, and this is like the ninth time we have come up with this programme within these years.
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“We will continue to build schools, hospital, roads, but empowerment programmes of this nature will impact families, communities and the state.
“Apart from the fact that this intervention is key for our administration’s performance, this is the real dividend of democracy where lives are being impacted directly for the growth of the state.”
The governor commended WAPA for coming up with the initiative, saying that it aligned with his administration’s THEMES+ agenda to alleviate poverty and engage vulnerable women in the state.
He urged beneficiaries of the MESI programme to use the equipment given to them to improve their sources of income.
“The minimum we expect from you is to use these equipment well, don’t sell it to buy Aso-ebi. You were all trained for free and these equipment were also given to you free, to start a business and be financially independent,” he said.
Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty, Mrs Bolaji Dada, said that MESI was one of the programmes through which the state continued to transform lives, foster entrepreneurship, and engage the vulnerable.
Mrs Dada said since inception, the initiative had directly empowered thousands of indigent residents of Lagos, by providing equipment, training and giving them start-up capital.
She commended the governor for his immense and continuous support to WAPA.
According to her, under Gov. Sanwo‑Olu’s THEMES+ agenda, Lagos State has redoubled its focus on social inclusion and economic self‑reliance.
“WAPA has been able to translate that vision into concrete programmes, through the 19 tuition-free skills acquisition centres.
“These centres are in the five divisions of Lagos State, where students are admitted, irrespective of their religion or ethnic group.
“Let us all recommit ourselves to the vision of a Lagos where entrepreneurship is not limited by circumstance, but is a universal opportunity,” she said.