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From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
The Federal Government, through the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), in collaboration with the Abia State Government, has flagged off the enumeration of beneficiaries under the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP) 3.0 FarmerMoni initiative in Umuahia.
The inauguration and training of GEEP desk officers for the state’s 17 local government areas also commenced at the event. The event was organised by the Abia State Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection.
Consultant, GEEP South-East, Isaac Ugwu, facilitated the training. The National Coordinator of GEEP, Ibrahim Hamzat Baba, said the exercise marked another step towards expanding access to affordable agricultural financing for smallholder farmers.
He described Abia as a state renowned for entrepreneurship and commended Governor Alex Otti for creating an enabling environment for agricultural development.
He explained that FarmerMoni, alongside TraderMoni and MarketMoni, was designed to provide interest-free and collateral-free microloans to vulnerable Nigerians with limited access to conventional banking facilities.
He said FarmerMoni targeted smallholder farmers involved in crop cultivation, poultry, livestock production and fisheries, providing financial support to expand their operations and improve productivity.
Baba disclosed that eligible beneficiaries could access loans of up to N300,000 without interest or collateral. He stressed that FarmerMoni was a loan scheme, not a grant, with repayment expected to commence between six and nine months after disbursement.
He urged the newly inaugurated desk officers to discharge their responsibilities with integrity and accountability, warning them against demanding money from farmers, as participation was free.
The Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection, Dr Ngozi Blessing Felix, said agriculture remained a major source of livelihood for many Abia households but noted that inadequate access to affordable financing continued to limit farmers’ productivity.
She described FarmerMoni as a timely intervention that would complement the agricultural development efforts of the Otti administration.
Felix disclosed that NSIPA’s national office had completed the online revalidation of 1,160 farmers in Abia, with the next phase involving a 20-day physical enumeration exercise across the 17 local government areas.
The South-East Coordinator of GEEP, Mrs Ifeoma Mba, urged the newly inaugurated officers to approach their responsibilities with dedication and professionalism.
