The Nigerian Government has commenced the payment of N30,000 one-time grant to 330,000 artisans across the country is now in progress.
Presidential spokesman, Laolu Akande, revealed this in a statement on Tuesday, saying the payment is being made as to the implementation of the Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP) progresses.
It said free Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) Business Names’ Registration for 250,000 MSMEs has also commenced.
The statement said the payments are being made to sets of verified beneficiaries of the Artisan Support Scheme, a track under the MSMEs Survival Fund.
According to it, in the first stream of payments starting Tuesday, beneficiaries are drawn from the FCT, Lagos, Ondo, Kaduna, Borno, Kano, Bauchi, Anambra, Abia, Rivers, Plateau and Delta States.
They form the first batch of applications for the scheme submitted between October 1 and October 10, it stated.
The statement explained further that the MSMEs Survival Fund scheme is a component of the Nigerian Economic Sustainability Plan (NESP), which was developed by an Economic Sustainability Committee established by President Muhammadu Buhari in March 2020.
It recalled that President Buhari directed Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, to head the committee which produced and is overseeing the implementation of the plan.
It further pointed out that under the ESP, the Survival Fund is generally designed to among other things, support vulnerable MSMEs in meeting their different obligations and safeguard jobs in the sector.
