Kwara gives 12 young entrepreneurs ₦89.2m in business grants
- Kwara State has handed ₦89.2m in grants to 12 young business owners through its social investment programme.
- The cheques were presented in Ilorin by KWASSIP General Manager Wasiu Tejidini on Monday.
- Officials say the agency will check on the businesses after six months to a year to see the impact.
Twelve young business owners in Kwara State have received a total of ₦89.2m in grants from the state government to help their businesses grow and hire more people.
The cheques were presented in Ilorin on Monday by the General Manager of the Kwara State Social Investment Programme (KWASSIP), Wasiu Tejidini, according to a statement by the agency's press secretary, Bolashade Yusuf.
The money comes under KWASSIP's Youth Entrepreneurial Empowerment Scheme. The agency said the beneficiaries were picked after Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq reviewed their requests and business proposals.
Who got what
The biggest grant, ₦15.9m, went to Nimotallah Mohammed Kpayero of Ban Shea Products. Ahmed Kuburat of Kaddy Nigeria received ₦15m, while Firdauz Muhammed Wuraola of Drinks 'N' Grillz and Fatigun Subomi Emmanuel of Waka Studios each got ₦10m.
Eight others received between ₦3.3m and ₦5m each: Oloyede Ikmat Omoshalewa (Kwara Souvenir Store), Anifowose Favour Boluwatife (Esthad Luxe Jewels), Ibrahim Maryam Modupeola (Kleen Klear), Ajiboye Opeyemi Rasheed (Tailorgang Fashion House), Yusuf Dolapo Azeezat (Day Varieties Enterprise), Akinyode Bosede Temilade (Global LightTrust Integrated Ventures), Badeji Sherifat Modupe (BSM Fashion) and Adeshewa Kolawole (Day-Yank Fashion).
Tejidini urged the beneficiaries to use the money for the purposes set out in their applications. He said the agency's monitoring and evaluation unit would assess the impact of the grants after six months or one year.
He also said the state has supported more than 1,000 young people through Kwapreneur, another KWASSIP scheme for youth empowerment and enterprise development.
According to him, the grants are part of a wider push to encourage entrepreneurship and reduce young people's dependence on government jobs.
What happens next
The beneficiaries will run their businesses with the funds, and KWASSIP says it will return within a year to check results. For young people in Kwara hoping to start or grow a business, the agency's track record suggests more rounds of support may follow, though no new round has been announced.
Speaking for the group, Ajiboye and Kpayero thanked the state government, saying the money would help them buy more equipment, raise production and employ more young people.
"This is an opportunity for us to create jobs for people out there, including fresh graduates," Ajiboye said.
