Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State on Tuesday signed an Executive Order 2023 on Financial Inclusion, to address the exclusion of about 2.1 million poor people in the state.
The governor said that the Executive Order was in pursuant to government’s efforts to address the exclusion of the poor from financial services and ensure they benefited from the social intervention funds.
According to him, the Executive Order is specifically aimed at including vulnerable indigent citizens in the rural areas in financial services to ensure they benefit from the State and Federal Government’s Social Intervention Programmes.
Sani said that the Financial Inclusion and Literacy Committee has been constituted to fashion strategies and modalities to ensure the inclusion of the state’s poor and vulnerable.
He said that the state government would equip the beneficiaries with financial skills to enable them make sound financial and investment decisions.
He added that the state government had targeted the inclusion of about one million poor and vulnerable citizens in the financial services sector in the next one year.
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“The state government, in collaboration with key stakeholders, including CSOs, NGOs and Financial Technology Companies (FINTECHS) will develop a State Financial Inclusion Strategy.
“It will be developing state register of the Poor, Under-Served and Vulnerable
“The register will be subjected to various stages of integrity tests, while the the state government will work with banks and other financial service providers to open bank accounts for un-banked citizens,
“It will embark on aggressive sensitisation programme to ensure the mass participation of citizens in the exercise.
Sani said that the state government was working in collaboration with regulatory agencies in the financial sector to organise Financial Literacy Workshops to equip the beneficiaries with needed financial skills.
According to the governor, this will enable them to make sound financial and investment decisions.
He added that the state government would be consulting key stakeholders to ensure the mass sensitisation and involvement of citizens in that regard.
Sani said the Financial Inclusion and Literacy Committee had been directed to liaise with relevant government ministries, departments and agencies for the full implementation of the order.
GOOD EVENING NIGERIA reports that the Financial Inclusion Order is the first Executive Order signed by the governor since he assumed office on May 29.
(NAN)