Jigawa Signs N6 Billion MoU With BoI As Namadi Inaugurates Dutse Branch

By Mohammed Abubakar, Dutse

As part of its efforts towards expanding the industrial base of the state, the Jigawa state government has signed N6 billion Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bank of Industries (BoI).

This is coming just as Governor Umar Namadi on Tuesday commissioned the state branch of the bank bringing to 33rd branches of BoI in the country.

The immediate objective of the MoU is to facilitate access to soft loans for medium and small scale businesses in the state.

Speaking at the signing of the MoU at Dutse Government House, Dutse Governor Umar Namadi said, the occasion was a milestone in his government journey towards poverty eradication, job creation, growth and development.

Namadi noted that, empowering people through their own businesses of choice as one of the strategies adopted for accelerating growth and development in the state and BoI are potential and key partners in achieving so .

“With this MOU we are now in a position to join hands with the BoI to facilitate access to soft loan to our small, medium and even large scale business in the state”

“We are very happy today we have BoI branch in our state, while all relevant state government agencies are fully engaged for enlightening Jigawa citizens and support them to access the opportunities in the bank”” Namadi declared.

The governor expressed confidence that with the opening of the state branch of the bank, small and medium industrialists in the state would get the necessary finances to finance their businesses “by extension boosting the economy of the state.’

The Executive Director Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs) BoI Umar Shekarau described the N6 billion MoU signed with Jigawa state government as the biggest MoU signed with with any state government in the history of the bank.

He, said, in the last 13 years, BoI has been writing letters and paying advocacy visits for the establishment of the branch of the bank to the previous chief executives of Jigawa state but got no positive response.

“However, within six month of such engagement with Governor Umar Namadi at the airport, the BoI dreams have become reality.”

Shekarau then commended the governor for being man of his actions and his unwavering commitment to empowering Jigawa people towards achieving poverty eradication, jobs creation, growth and sustainable development.

“As we signed this MoU and also commissioned our Dutse branch today, we assure Jigawa state government of our commitments to work at any level for achieving the desire goals”, Umar declared.