Ime Akpan
The governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno has passion for economic development and empowerment to boost job creation and revenue.
He has since assumption of office in 2023, demonstrated keen interest in supporting the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) through a series of strategic interventions, having realised that they (SMEs) are the bedrock of economic growth globally.
According to the World Bank, SMEs represent about 90% of businesses and more than 50% of employment globally. As such they play a major role in most economies, particularly in developing countries. They account for the majority of businesses worldwide and are important contributors to job creation and global economic development.
The Bretton Woods institution projects that 600 million jobs will be needed by 2030 to absorb the growing global workforce, which makes SME development a high priority for many governments around the world. In emerging markets, most formal jobs are generated by SMEs, which create seven out of 10 jobs.
That Akwa Ibom would not be left out, the Eno administration has, through series of strategic interventions designed programmes to provide essential resources to SMEs across the state as well as created the enabling environment where small businesses can thrive, innovate and contribute to the overall economic growth of Akwa Ibom.
Shortly after his inauguration in 2023, he initiated the first Made-in-Akwa Ibom Fair and set up the Ibom Leadership and Entrepreneurial Development Centre (Ibom LED) designed to provide skills to make Akwa Ibom economy private sector driven, move agriculture from subsistence to commercial, via comprehensive training programmes that cover all aspects of starting, managing and scaling a business, digitalise the state’s economy and provide training and support for the workforce needed to drive the ARISE Agenda.
However, access to finance is a key constraint to SME growth; it is the second most cited obstacle facing SMEs to grow their businesses in emerging markets and developing countries.
They are less likely to be able to obtain bank loans than large firms; instead, they rely on internal funds, or cash from friends and family, to launch and initially run their enterprises.
To address the lacuna, the governor had in February 2025, floated a N5.1 billion empowerment scheme for Akwa Ibom entrepreneurs
Under the scheme, N2 billion was earmarked as grant to support individuals, corporate and commercial farmers, another N2 billion for validated traders across the 31 area councils while operators of micro, small and medium scale enterprises (MSMEs) will receive support in terms of equipment to the tune of N800 million as well as special grant of N310 million to be won by two farmers in each of the area councils.
In March 2025, the government empowered 2,000 Akwa Ibom entrepreneurs through his ARISE Entrepreneurial Equipment Support Scheme (AESS).
AESS is targeted at Akwa Ibom entrepreneurs, engaging in active businesses and further promotes the small and medium scale enterprises.
In the same month, the governor empowered 833 entrepreneurs with grants under the MSMEs development scheme.
The beneficiaries who were drawn from Abak-Etim Ekpo-Ika Federal Constituency got their share of the N5.1 billion grant.
The breakdown of the disbursement showed that N111 million went to 178 crop, fish and livestock farmers; N176 million to 442 traders of various categories; N30 million to six MSMSEs operators and equipment support running into hundreds of millions to 198 craftsman, as well as six beneficiaries of minibuses and three car beneficiaries.
In April 2025, the governor doled out N260 million business support grant to 655 entrepreneurs, including farmers and small scale business owners in Ikot Ekpene Federal Constituency.
In April 2025, the statement empowered 405 constituents Ukanafun/Oruk Anam Federal Constituency with business grants, cars and other packages.
At a town hall meeting with the electorates from the area, 154 constituents benefited from the traders grant, 116 from the farmers grant, four got N5 million each for the MSME grant while 131 benefitted from the equipment support grant.
Similarly, the government assisted a total of 655 entrepreneurs, including farmers and small scale business owners in Ikot Ekpene Federal Constituency, with business and equipment support grant of N260 million.
The beneficiaries were drawn from the three local government areas of Ikot Ekpene, Essien Udim and Obot Akara which constitute Ikot Ekpene Federal Constituency.
Under the AESS the government donated over 10,000 sets of equipment to 2,000 entrepreneurs engaging in various crafts including tailoring, barbing, shoe making, welding, laundry, hair styling, car wash, make up artistry, baking, palm and cassava milling, vulcanising, and tiling.
The Eno-led administration also presented 77 mini buses, 31 saloon cars to various beneficiaries.
Meanwhile, the Ibom-LED, through its Entrepreneurship Accelerator Programme (EAP) graduated its first- batch trainees of 400 in December 2023 with the beneficiaries supported with takeoff grant of N500, 000 each to establish themselves and sustain their businesses.
To drive the initiative, the Ibom-LED has partnered other organisations such as the Partnership Initiative in the Niger Delta Foundation (PIND) and the Lagos State-based Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) to promote and actualise its training programmes.
The Ibom-LED collaborates with the EDC on capacity building for young Akwa Ibom indigenes who are 18 to 35 years old while the PIND foundation, a non-profit organisation partners with Ibom-LED to implement the Youths Employment Pathway(YEP) project to expand its reach in the state.
Similarly, the government has partnered with the Bank of Industry (BoI) by providing N2 billion matching-grants to boost SMEs at a single digit interest rate.
This will enable SMEs access low-interest and long-term loans to support and expand their businesses, create more job opportunities and contribute to the overall development of the state.
“We want to support small medium scale enterprises. These small businesses are the engine of the economy. These are the small traders, farmers, those people that have their handwork.
“Those are the people that help the economy; they employ two or three people and they provide food for their homes. We must support them. I know what you are doing and we will keep supporting you,” Eno said.
To eliminate ‘ghostpreneurs’ and portfolio business people from benefitting from the system, the government has ensured all the beneficiaries of its schemes are known up to their villages and its policies and programmes are implemented to the letter.
“No more will we sit in Uyo and write names of people we do not know. We have profiled all these people. If you check the brochure or go to Akwa Ibom State Government website, you’ll see all their names, their phone numbers and their addresses so you can go and verify whether they got the monies or not.
“We have visited their businesses; we have visited their farms and they are not portfolio business people.
“I want to be remembered as the governor who brought governance to the rural areas. I want to be remembered as the governor who interacted with the rural communities so they too can smell the fragrance of government, have good schools, good roads, good hospitals, water, and the basic necessities of life,” Eno said.
The governor’s passion for economic development and empowerment has been commended by individuals and groups.
One of such commendations came from an international socio-political group, Connect Initiative which applauded the progress of Ibom-LED, for instance.
“Governor Eno has been in the forefront of efforts engendering business and economic growth with the creation of different initiative including the establishment of Ibom Leadership and Entrepreneurial Centre aimed at cutting down poverty figures and providing opportunities for youths interested in making a career of their talents. This idea of not feeding them fish but teaching them how to fish is commendable,” it said.
A public affairs commentator, Mr Ekemini Sunday said the governor embarked on what he described as “economic renaissance” by deliberately investing in human potential “to provide targeted resources to entrepreneurs across a spectrum of vital crafts.”
“Through empowering SMEs…the governor is already creating a thriving middle class that will drive economic growth and development and at the same time sending a strong signal that hard work pays and that meritocracy rather than mediocrity will be the order of the day,” he added.
The former commissioner for economic development, Mr Emem Bob said Eno came prepared for governance.
He said the governor had rolled out sustainable economic programmes to better the lot of the people.
Bob added that the ARISE Agenda “is a unique economic consolidation blue-print because of its high-level inclusivity, political, economic and social attributes” and urged the people to reciprocate by giving the governor all the support he needs to succeed in office.
