The Buhari Presidency’s Social Investment Programmes (SIPs) has been extended to artisans, with government disbursing 23,400 loans to beneficiaries in 13 states and the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja.

The micro-credit scheme styled Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), targets coverage for one million people, who are either artisans or market men and women, entrepreneurs or farmers.

“They have already enrolled for the scheme and are expected to benefit this year”, according to Laolu Akande, the senior special assistant on media to the presidency.

The loan scheme is executed through the Bank of Industry, BOI, with the involvement of cooperatives.

Beneficiaries of the first phase are based in are Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Ekiti, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Lagos, Osun and Ogun. Others are in Oyo, Ondo, Rivers and the FCT.