In light of recent occurences across Nigeria, Access Bank PLC will begin disbursing a 50 billion interest-free loan and grant it set aside for micro, small and medium size enterprises (MSMEs) that were destroyed by hoodlums in the wake of the protest against police brutality in the country last week.
In a phone interview with THISDAY yesterday, Deputy Group Managing Director, Access Bank, Mr Roosevelt Ogbonna, said, “From tomorrow (Monday), we would start collecting application from customers. There is an interest-free loan as well as a grant also embedded in that.”
He stated that the loan would be targeted at customers of the financial institution across its MSME business, commercial banking customers as well as corporate banking customers affected by the looting and arson in some parts of the country last week.
He explained saying, “It has a maximum tenor of 24 months for the access finance and 12 months for the working capital. The structure is flexible and it is to align with the customers’ cash flow. The term facility would have a moratorium period of six months and then we would structure the repayment following the customers’ own cash flow cycle. Both are interest-free.
“For the grant, we have broken it into two. Firstly is that for youth empowerment and community development. The youth empowerment is in two parts.
“We have a segment of the grant that is focused on supporting the tech industry and we have another that is focused on skill development, which is for those that are for tailors, barbers, mechanics, criteria.
“The idea is that our branches are all over the country, so whatever skill you have, go to any of our branches and you will get whatever support you require.”
They restated their commitment to impacting lives positively after announcing the fund.
The creative industry comprises the advertising, architecture, the arts and antiques market, crafts, design, designer fashion, film, interactive leisure software, music, performing arts, publishing, software, television, and radio can bridge the unemployment gap in Nigeria if commercial banks in the country are much more receptive to financing them, the Group Managing Director of Access Bank, Mr. Herbert Wigwe, had said.
