Executive Secretary of the agency, Barr. Orezi Esievo, made the disclosure on Tuesday 23rd February 2021, during a training programme organized for 200 enumerators in Asaba.
According to her, a total of 1598 micro, small and medium enterprises would benefit from the Delta CARES programme for the next two years.
She said 200 enumerators would enumerate MSMEs using the eligibility criteria, disclosing further that 798 would benefit in 2021 while 800 would benefit in 2022.
These micro enterprises, according to Esievo, would be drawn from the 25 local government areas of the state where the enumerators would be mobilized for the purpose of identifying existing businesses that are qualified for the programme.
The Delta CARES, an offshoot of Nigeria CARES, is an acronym for Delta State COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (DELTA CARES) which is aimed at stimulating and reviving micro and small scale businesses which were adversely affected by the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
Addressing journalists during the training organized by the agency in collaboration with Bank of Industry for 200 selected enumerators, Esievo, said the programme would run for 30 months which is a period of two years and six months.
She revealed that the state governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, came up with the programme to assist micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to help them stand again after being hit by the lockdown occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Hear her: “It is a Nigeria CARES programme. In Delta state, we call it DELTA CARES. The governor cares for his people, hence the approval of the programme for the people of Delta state.
“Existing businesses which have been impacted negatively by the COVID-19 pandemic, this is for them to keep them in business and enable them keep their staff. If they keep dropping off their staff, then we have a problem.
“What we are doing is actually a stimulus programme. It is ro stimulate the economy, businesses, keep them afloat and rise above the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are harnessing existing businesses with critical eligibility criteria. Even though it is critical, it is still simplified so that a lot of people can engage. This programme will run for 30 months, that is two and half years.
“It is being done in collaboration with World Bank. This year, the first approval given by the state executive council is to touch 798 beneficiaries which is a lot. Next year, we will get 800. The other year, 2023, we will do mop up.
“They are to go online and register, if you have a registered business with a business name, very good. If you have a business without registration, go and register with CAC, if you are not in any of these groups, you are micro, micro micro, then form yourselves into cooperatives of 10 of like businesses and register with the ministry of trade and investment. Then, go online and apply.’
She said the job of the enumerators is to examine the business and certify their fitness or otherwise using the eligibility criteria as rolled out by the Bank of Industry.
Barry Gbe, Commissioner for economic planning and chairman of the event, said the 200 enumerators were chosen based on the COVID-19 protocols and the state executive council believes that with the 200 enumerators, the 25 local government areas will be covered.
He said the enumerators are needed so that the government’s economic stimulus initiative will get to the target beneficiaries. He added that the enumerators job will also ensure that a situation where people will bring in other reasons into the selection process are eliminated.
He advised the enumerators to pay attention to details so that avoidable mistakes are avoided He noted: “Though there can’t be zero error rate, we look forward to a situation where we can be recording very minimal errors.”
He said Delta state wants to come out as one of the best states in the implementation of the Nigeria CARES programme, in line with the dictate of the World Bank.
David Ebiowe Egbuke, one of the enumerators from Patani local government area, said that the programme is geared towards “boosting entrepreneurs around our terrain, especially our rural areas.”
He said he would carry out the job with all sense of seriousness saying: “Anywhere they post me I will do my best to make sure we succeed and there will be no complaint in my unit.”
Also, Miss Faith Orishedere, Ughelli north local government area of the state, assured that she would do her job without fear or favour, describing the training as a very organized setting.
“If they give me the job, I will be able to work hand in hand so that other people’s business will grow and I myself will grow on my own part. I will try my possible best to carryout every instructions given to me”.
