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Ukorebi Esien | August 29, 2025
CALABAR — The Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Senator John Owan-Enoh, has launched a ₦500 million Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) intervention program targeted at artisans, rural traders, and entrepreneurs across Cross River State.
Unveiled at the Ernest Etim Bassey Press Centre with Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Calabar on Friday, the scheme is designed as a grant, not a loan, to support small business owners in both the formal and informal sectors. Beneficiaries are expected to receive between ₦150,000 and ₦500,000 depending on the scale of their proposals.
According to the Minister, the program will run in four batches with beneficiaries drawn evenly from the state's 18 local government areas, based on the location of their businesses and not their local government of origin.
"Our intention is to build a strong base of entrepreneurs in Cross River. This money is not for paying rent or daily expenses; it is meant to grow small businesses. We are giving grants, not loans, and every naira must be put to good use," Owan-Enoh stressed.
To ensure transparency and sustainability, the scheme will be implemented in partnership with the Cross River State Ministry of Entrepreneurship Development (MEDA), the Calabar Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Entrepreneurship Development Centres (EDC). Selected beneficiaries will undergo a one-week entrepreneurship training across the three senatorial districts, followed by a mentorship program linking them with established businesses.
Human rights activist and journalist, Agba Jalingo, who is part of the coordinating team, assured the public of accountability, noting that "not a single naira of the ₦500 million will be diverted."
The intervention program is separate from federal government schemes managed by the Bank of Industry (BOI), SMEDAN, and other agencies. Senator Owan-Enoh described it as his personal contribution to supporting economic growth in Cross River, noting that MSMEs account for over 40 million businesses nationwide and employ about 80 percent of Nigeria's workforce.
He added that artisans such as welders, vulcanizers, mechanics, and small-scale food processors (many of whom lack access to the internet ) would also benefit, as printed forms will be distributed across all local governments to ensure inclusivity.
Jalingo informed that the scheme is a private intervention by the Minister, aimed at seeing how people who have no real active interest in day-to-day politics can be assisted to create an alternative economy in Cross River state in particular. Stating that the programme targets people in the formal and informal sectors of the economy who are truly doing business or want to run small businesses with a total of 500 million Naira up for grabs by 1000 entrepreneurs in four different phases.
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