Abia SMEs To Benefit As Kalu Rolls Out ₦1bn Support Package

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has announced a ₦1 billion scheme to support small and medium-sized businesses in Abia State.

Mr Kalu disclosed the plan during a town hall meeting of the Renewed Hope Partners in Bende Local Government Area, Abia State where food items and ₦100 million in cash were also distributed to churches, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and other support groups.

The fund is expected to benefit about 2,000 businesses across Abia’s 17 local government areas, with each receiving an initial ₦500,000.

He said the programme would work with institutions such as the Bank of Industry, Bank of Agriculture, SMEDAN and the Nigeria Consumer Credit Corporation to expand the funding available to beneficiaries in the first phase.

According to Mr Kalu, Abia State has a strong culture of enterprise, noting that the initiative is designed to stimulate local economic growth.

The deputy speaker said a similar intervention worth ₦500 million had been carried out months earlier under the Renewed Hope Partners programme.

Mr Kalu also outlined his performance in office, noting that he had sponsored more than 120 bills in two years and delivered dozens of constituency projects, including schools, health centres, roads and agricultural processing facilities in Bende Federal Constituency.

He praised President Bola Tinubu’s economic and governance reforms and called on Nigerians to support the administration, saying the government remained committed to improving livelihoods and creating opportunities, particularly for young people.

Oduyemi Odumade, Edited By Grace Namiji