The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Wednesday warned the members of the public to beware of Entrepreneurship Development Institutions (EDIs), purporting to be Central Bank accredited EDIs for the AgriBusiness Small and Medium Enterprises Investment Scheme (AGSMEIS).
In a statement signed by Isaac Okorafor, director, corporate communications, these unaccredited bodies have continued to defraud and exploit members of the public by advertising for courses and charging training fees ranging on the pretext that the training is endorsed by the CBN and therefore would guarantee easy access to AGSMEIS loans.
According to the statement, the CBN has neither appointed nor accredited any organization to conduct any training on its behalf for the purpose of applying for AGSMEIS loans.
“The Public is therefore advised to beware of the activities of these non-accredited private and public organisations, and report anyone or group that approaches them for these illegal and unauthorized trainings, to the law enforcement agencies”, the statement reads.
Under the auspices of the Bankers Committee, the sum of over N60 billion has so far been set aside under the AGSMIES fund to fund Micro Small and Medium enterprise businesses in the Agriculture and Manufacturing sectors of the economy.
The CBN last year introduced the Real Sector Support fund; a facility meant to provide cheap funding at no more than 9 percent to new projects in the Agric and Manufacturing sectors; aimed at boosting output and creating jobs.
HOPE MOSES-ASHIKE
