The Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), a key initiative under the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), recently convened its Stakeholders’ Roundtable at the National Assembly Library. This event aimed to enhance and reposition GEEP in alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda initiated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The Roundtable provided a strategic platform for various stakeholders to collaborate on implementation strategies, promote institutional synergy, and develop a roadmap to improve financial inclusion and economic empowerment for underserved communities in Nigeria. Participants included representatives from the public sector, private institutions, financial operators, and development partners, who engaged in keynote presentations, plenary sessions, technical panels, and showcases of impactful initiatives.
Notable speakers at the event included Hamza Baba Ibrahim, GEEP National Programme Manager; Nasir Yusuf Gawuna, former Governor of Kano State; Rt. Hon. Toby Okechukwu, Executive Director of Projects at South East Development Commission (SEDC), HM Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Federal Minister of Women Affairs; and HE Hajiya Fatima Abbas Tajudeen, who represented the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Key Objectives and Several strategic goals outlined during the Roundtable:
- Building Trust: The introduction of GEEP 3.0 was accompanied by reforms aimed at promoting transparency, accountability, and governance from the outset.
- Enhancing Transparency: New systems were discussed to improve data
management, financial disbursement, and reporting processes, ensuring verifiability and public oversight. - Scaling Impact: Stakeholders committed to enabling GEEP 3.0 to reach five million beneficiaries by the year 2027.
- Promoting Financial Inclusion: The programme reaffirmed its focus on empowering women, youth, and farmers at the grassroots level.
- From Vision to Implementation: Clear roles, timelines, and targets were established to ensure the ambitions of GEEP 3.0 translate into sustainable impacts.
Key Panel Roundtable Discussion featured two main panel sessions:
Panel Session 1:
Focused on the implementation of GEEP’s earlier phases, GEEP 1.0 and 2.0, this session reviewed challenges, successes, and lessons learned. Moderated by Engr. Uzoma Nwagba, it provided insights into the empowerment of millions of traders and market women, including addressing issues related to loan repayments and enhancing the transparency of beneficiary selection.
Panel Session 2:
Explored the sustainability of GEEP 3.0, this session examined strategies related to risk management and capacity building. Moderated by Godfrey Meyer Petgrave, discussions emphasized measures to ensure the programme’s continued impact and resilience in supporting small businesses and market traders across Nigeria.
The Stakeholders’ Roundtable underscored the government’s commitment to fortifying GEEP as a mechanism for grassroots economic empowerment and highlighted RHGEEP 3.0 as pivotal to enhancing financial inclusion under Nigeria’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
More pictures from the event below.
