The Global Centre for Human Empowerment and Entrepreneurship Development Youth Network has today met with the leadership of Union Bank in a bid to partner in facilitating access to the redefined Anchor Borrowers Programme which is aimed at encouraging youths engagement in agriculture.



The Leaders from various youths clusters, both male and female who participated in the meeting harped on the need for zero account opening to encourage participation from rural areas, timely completion of the implementation process for the smooth take-off of the program and early release of funds to facilitate access to land on lease within the FCT. They also called on the government to demonstrate Sincerity and transparency in the implementation of the programme to differentiate it from previous engagements of citizens with the process which did not work and no feedback to citizens, after interested farmers had invested their time and resources in the documentation process. They also enjoined the bank to fast track the process because the raining season is almost here to avoid putting the farmers in jeopardy for non repayment of the loan collected due to wrong timing of disbursements which would usually affect repayment plan and put the farmers at bad light as loan defaulters.



Earlier, the Director-General, Global Centre for Human Empowerment and Entrepreneurship Development (GLOCHEED),Mrs. Rose Gyar admonished the youths to be proactive in taking advantage of the opportunity and also create awareness among other youth clusters for more participation so as to reduce poverty and unemployment.

However, She applauded Union Bank for accepting to partner with GLOCHEED and to work with the youths on the programme.

Similarly, she also commended the Federal Government for the initiative and called on the government to always identify credible platforms of informal operators across sectors and work with them for coordination and result-oriented implementation processes of government initiatives.


Speaking further, she promised Union Bank representatives that GLOCHEED would also mobilise women through the Association of Women in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (AWIMSME) to also participate in the programme because there are a lot of rural women that could benefit if guided properly on how to engage with the process, hence the partnership with AWIMSME to provide such platform for coordination and feedback.

The Programme Officer of the GLOCHEED YOUTHS NETWORK, Mr. Gaya Wakili assured the DG, GLOCHEED of the commitment of the youths' leadership to ensure participation of youths across states/FCT, as well as in the 774 LGAs/ACs. He also informed the meeting of their willingness to also liaise with other sectors of the economy to ensure youths participation in the various programmes aimed at empowering the youths to reduce unemployment and poverty.

The National Secretary, Association of Women in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises AWIMSME, Biodun Ogundipe, and National Coordinator, Mrs. Nancy Ladi Nathaniel also pledged their commitment in ensuring that the process with women would be smooth and seamless because the women farmers are already in clusters which would enhance coordination without stress.