FG DISBURSES CREDIT FACILITY TO BENEFICIARIES OF AGREPRENEURSHIP SCHEME

FG DISBURSES CREDIT FACILITY TO BENEFICIARIES OF AGREPRENEURSHIP SCHEME

The Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF), in partnership with the Bank of Agriculture (BoA), has presented cheques to beneficiaries from the first batch of the Agripreneurship Training Scheme instituted by the OHCSF, in line with focus area number 3 of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu - led Administration on Boosting Agriculture to Achieve Food Security.

The Head of Service of the Federation, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, CFR, while delivering her address at the ceremonial presentation of cheques for various credit facilities totalling N2.3million to four (4) beneficiaries on Thursday, 23rd November in Abuja, stated that the initiative was conceived in tandem with the sixth pillar of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan 2021 - 2025 (FCCIP25), which focuses specifically on value proposition as a veritable instrument for enhancing the welfare and wellbeing of Civil Servants for high impact performance. 

She also disclosed that the Programme, which is one of the initiatives under the Federal Public Service Entrepreneurship (FPSEP) Programme, creates a window of opportunity for those in Service to earn supplementary income to improve their quality of life, as well as enable those retiring to cope with life after Service, while at the same time contributing to the development of the other sectors of the economy, and by implication, increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.

Dr. Yemi-Esan stated that the programme, which is a tripartite arrangement involving the OHCSF, the Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN) and the Bank of Agriculture, have trained a total of eighty-seven (87) officers in the first batch conducted in March 2023, while the second batch of training commenced on Monday 20th November, 2023 with 98 participants. While the OHCSF coordinates the Programme, PSIN handles the theoretical components and BoA provides credit facility to eligible participants at the end of the training for business startup, she added.

She further stated that the training curriculum was developed by a team of resources persons, adding that the 1st batch of beneficiaries had undertaken a two-week intensive theoretical training at PSIN, wherein they were exposed to a broad-spectrum of activities within the agriculture value chain. Thereafter, they participated in a structured hands-on training at selected farms within the FCT, based on their chosen areas of business interest. 

Dr. Yemi-Esan, CFR thanked the Managing Director of BoA and the Administrator/CEO of PSIN for their invaluable support. She added that the Office remains committed to effective implementation of the Scheme, to support government efforts at achieving food sufficiency through diversification in agricultural production.

While speaking earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare Office, OHCSF, Mr. Mahmud Adam Kambari stated that the event is a celebration of resilience, hard work, and the unwavering spirit of those who have utilized the opportunity provided through the Agripreneurship Scheme of the Federal Public Service Entrepreneurship Programme, to emerge as beneficiaries of this credit facility. “The cheques we are presenting today are not just financial instruments, they symbolise the investment we are making in the future and prosperity of our serving and retiring Civil Servants,” he opined.

The Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture, Mr. Alwan Ali Hassan, in a Goodwill Message, emphasised that the credit facility offers a single-digit interest rate of 9%, with a loan repayment linked to beneficiaries’ salaries. He also urged Civil servants to engage in agricultural business as an alternative in retirement.

The Administrator, Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN), Dr. AbdulGaniyu Obatoyinbo commended the Head of Service for her tenacity in driving transformative reforms in the Service.

The Chairman of Joint Union Negotiation Council (JUNC), Comrade Slyvester Ameh applauded the Head of Service for her doggedness in achieving the objectives of all the pillars of FCSSIP-25, especially those that affect staff wellbeing. He urged the Bank of Agriculture to make the agricultural loans more flexible and accessible to Civil Servants, considering the setbacks encountered by some of the applicants for the loan.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mrs Eunice Tinko assured the Head of Service and other partners that the funds would be put to judicious use. 

 

M.A. Ahmed,

Director, Communications.

November 26, 2023.