Aba Chamber of Commerce, Industry,Mines and Agriculture (ACCIMA), has trained over four hundred Abians on Entrepreneurship Development, making them eligible for the CBN/ NIRSAL Loan scheme for Small and Medium Enterprises.

Presenting the training Certificates to the AGSMEIS Loan Applicants at the ACCIMA Secretariat,Aba, the ACCIMA President, Sir Lawrence Obetta JP, congratulated the applicants for going through the five days Entrepreneurship programme,which he said would help them in accessing funds that could assist them in starting up or enhancing their business, provide employments for people in Enyimba city and Abia at large,as well as put food on their table.

Sir Obetta said the Loan scheme is solely met for those in the production line like Agro business, fashion,design,media, construction among others, adding that anyone going into buying and selling is not qualified for the facility.He informed the applicants that the loan is at single digit interest with seventy five (75) percent equipment financing.

He said the Federal Government introduced the CBN/ NIRSAL platform to create opportunity for those who want to start or enhance their business,thereby creating employment window and boosting the economy.

Obetta enjoined the applicants to follow squarely all the processes outlined in getting the loan facility,so that they would not be screened out in any way.

He said the AGSMEIS Loan scheme is trusted and reliable,as nobody that goes through the scheme is left without the loan facility, adding that already, over #1 billion has been disbursed to Abia State for those who applied last year and the early part of 2020.

The ACCIMA boss assured that every applicant would get the loan,as long as it would be used veritably.

He further disclosed that ACCIMA is on top of its game as an EDI, in ensuring that all the applicants that passed through it,get their loan in due time.

Obetta, however,urged the applicants to use wisely the loan facility when given to them and avoid using it for other frivolities.

He further thanked the CBN and NIRSAL Management,for their tireless efforts in making sure that the loan facility come fully, adding that the outbreak of the Covid 19 slowed the pace of the loan process, advising they step up in their pace since the covid 19 spread has reduced.

Meanwhile,the ACCIMA president reminded the applicants not to relent in observing the Covid 19 protocol,as the deadly virus has not been contained completely.

In his address, Chairman ACCIMA/ NIRSAL Training Committee, Engr Cletus Ekpo, disclosed the authenticity of the platform, urging the participants to take every of the process in getting the loan facility seriously, adding that the loan is only meant for Artisans, Technicians, Manufacturers, among others.

Responding on behalf of the participants,the Assistant Coordinator of Batch 4, Mr Uche Okorie,thanked ACCIMA for organising the training,which he said would better their lot in the long run, pleading for more assistance to be given to them especially in the area of Agriculture,for those of them going into Agro business.

The post ACCIMA Trains Abians on Entrepreneurship Development first appeared on National Ambassador News.

As a way of revamping the nation’s economy which has gone into comatose as a result of Covid 19 scare, the President Umuahia Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, Hon Chidi Nkem-Aruoma,has given cogent reasons, government at all levels should urgently provide job opportunities for Nigerians particularly those who lost their jobs during the covid 19 pandemic.

Hon Chidi Nkem-Aruoma, who dropped this in Umuahia, said the only way out of the recent collapse of the nation’s economy that was caused by the lockdown of business activities as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic, is for governments to set up schemes that can absorb a good number of people who lost their jobs to Covid 19 pandemic.

According to him, reports had it that in South-Eastern Nigeria alone, over 200,000 job losses linked to hotels and manufacturing business were recorded.

The UCCIMA boss said that over 4,000 notable hotels and manufacturing com­panies across the South East, have completely closed down and their staff laid off, resulting from Coronavirus scare, lockdown and curfew imposed against the people of the area by their respective governors.

He said over 90% of Small and Medium Enterprises will not withstand the post covid 19 era, due to the level of losses incurred already in the period of lockdown.

Hon Nkem-Aruoma revealed that in Nigeria, private establishments are the large employers of labour and when they can nolonger meet up with this, it leaves a negative effect on the economy as well as a high demand for government jobs which are not visible.

He said government should be blamed for creat­ing panic, lockdown and curfew in the system without due consider­ations that most Nigerians will lose their jobs if companies are allowed to shut down completely, maintaining that the shutdown of these companies gave rise to the groan­ing situation over the high rate of unemployment in the country, de­spite years of resourcefulness and entrepreneurship capabilities.

UCCIMA Chief further disclosed that soon after the lockdown those who were laid off resulting from Coronavi­rus scare and the existing jobless youths in their millions would be on the streets in search of job opportunities to enable them help themselves and family members, stressing that unless something drastic happens in the positive direction via the provision of interest free loans to manufacturers and SMEs operators to enable them re-absorb their laid off staff, then states should be ready to face criminal activities that may be associated with the in­creasing level of unemployment.

“Right now businesses are to­tally paralysed, especially the hotels, those that have few guests negotiated them out of their hotels since they cannot run generators with few guests. It will really take time to recover from the huge losses. The government should have discussed with the stakeholders before the lockdown to ensure some indus­tries are not affected.

“Government should inter­vene at least to protect most of the employees that were laid off without salaries.

“Obviously, the lockdown will change the previous data on un­employment rate in the country and this rating can only be determined after normalcy has returned”, he stated.

While commending the efforts of the Abia state Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, who had before the lockdown, elevated Small and Me­dium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) with the Importation of equipment and de­vices expected to flood Aba with a view to boost business in the areas of shoes and garments factories, which has helped in correcting the unemployment rating, said Federal government should bring up modalities that can rescue the nation from the impeding danger of unemployment.

The post Covid 19: Why Government should provide more job opportunities for Nigerians first appeared on National Ambassador News.

As part of measures to encourage the regular hand washing among Abians, which is part of the guidelines outlined by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), in containing the spread of the Covid 19 pandemic, the Aba Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines  and Agriculture (ACCIMA), has donated a hand washing machine to the Abia state government.

Presenting the Machine, the President ACCIMA, Sir Obetta Lawrence JP, said the chambers came to fulfill the promise they made to the state,during the last visit,where they brought palliative items to the state government, to help cushion the effect of the Covid 19 lockdown.

Sir Lawrence said the ACCIMA had constructed four hand washing machines, of which they had donated two to the Enyimba city, one to Umuahia and one would be going to Ohafia, to encourage people wash their hands regularly.

According to him,the easy to use peddal machine which was powered by ACCIMA, was fabricated to stop the chances of contracting the coronavirus through the use of public taps.

He said operating of public taps with our bare hands, could expose one to the risk of being infected with the virus, hence the peddal hand washing dispenser, which is operated with our feet.

While thanking the Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu and the Covid 19 committee, for their doggedness in fighting the pandemic to a stand still in Abia, said the state government had done alot in the fight against covid 19 with one of the index cases confirmed in Abia, turning negative,hence the need to support the government,promising that his organization would not relent in their support to the state government to contain the pandemic, as well as continue in the
distribution of palliative items to the vulnerable in Abia.

Receiving the machine, on behalf of the Governor, the chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Covid 19, Mr Chris Ezem, thanked the organization for the second tranche of support to the government, saying that history will not forget the efforts of the ACCIMA in the fight against covid 19.

Ezem, applauded the chamber for devoting their time and resources to the fight against coronavirus, stating that their selfless efforts,great statesmanship and show of love was highly commendable.

The SSG disclosed that the government is doing its best to ensure Abia is covid 19 free, as already one of the two index cases of covid 19 in the state, has turned negative, with the other in a perfect condition, calling on ACCIMA to support the government by sensitizing its members, on the importance of following strictly the guidelines outlined  by the government through the use of facemask, regular hand washing, social distancing and other safety measures rolled out by the NCDC.

He, however, thanked the organization for their support so far, beckoning on others to emulate.

Speaking to Journalists, Engr Cletus Ekpo, who fabricated the machine, said the idea behind the hand washing dispenser was to develop a safer method of washing of hands in the public.

He said the good thing about the Abia Tek machine is that, it could be dismantled and sent to whatever location of your choice, adding that the machine is best for public places like Churches, Markets, Schools among others.

I

Engr Ekpo said the hand washing machine has different compartments and could be produced within two days at an affordable price.

I

The post Covid 19: ACCIMA donates Hand washing machine to Abia Govt first appeared on National Ambassador News.