6.1.7 With its emphasis on people, and in order to reinforce the principle that
people should constitute the beginning and end motive of any credible and
legitimate economic policy and development initiative, the Federal and State
Governments have committed large resources to mass literacy and mass
transit schemes. Under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) scheme, more
than ten thousand mass transit buses have been launched by the Federal
and State Governments in collaboration with the National Union of Road
Transport Workers, an umbrella association of transport organizations in the
country. In view of the dominance of the oil sector and its exposure to the
vicissitudes of the international market, the Nigerian Government embarked
upon a complete diversification of the economy by developing the non-oil
sector.
6.1.8 The Government of Nigeria believes in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
as the major engine of growth and has committed immense resources
towards the realization of growth in this sector. In 2009, Government made
available the sum of two hundred billion Naira (N200B) for agricultural
expansion, under the Commercial Agricultural Credit Scheme (CACS). These
funds were meant to stimulate the sector and return it to its position as the
number one employer of labour, as well as to generate foreign exchange for
the nation. Up to 133 Billion Naira had been disbursed as at July 2011 in 22
States of the Federation for various agricultural projects, leaving 66 Billion
Naira in the coffers of the lending Banks for disbursement.
6.1.9 The Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme (ACGS) has been in existence since
1977 and is designed to ensure that practicing farmers can access lending
banks through their State chapters of farmers Associations and State
Implementation Committees for loans. The loans are given at a single digit
interest rate while rebate is given to those farmers that comply with the
repayment schedule of their loan facilities. As at June 2011, over 700, 000
Nigerian farmers had benefitted from the scheme.
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