Nigeria’s premier digital-first bank, Hope PSBank, a subsidiary of Unified Payment Services Limited, has restated its commitment to partner with the Federal Government on job creation to reduce unemployment and invariably alleviate poverty significantly in the country.
The Managing Director, Hope PSBank, Mr Ayotunde Kuponiyi, disclosed this during the Flag off/Empowerment Ceremony of NDE Programmes for the beneficiaries of Extended Special Public Works(ESPW) instituted by the Federal Government as well as the formal launch of Hope PSBank Agency POS terminal, which was held on Monday, December 13, 2021, in Warri, Delta.
Kuponiyi stated that the ESPW programme of the Federal Government is in total alignment with the social objective of the bank, saying that the bank has mapped out an exit strategy for participants such that beneficiaries can now render financial services to customers whilst also earning a living by so doing.
Beneficiaries, armed with vocational skills, are now being empowered as Agents of the Bank to deliver Digital Financial Services in their respective LGAs, which helps to drive Financial Inclusion and stimulate economic activities in these LGAs, ”he added.
While expressing his profound appreciation to the Federal Government through the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, as well as the National Directorate for Employment for the support and commitment toward the success of the exit strategy for the participants, he disclosed that, through this initiative, the bank has so far successfully on boarded over 65,000 participants of the scheme as agents of the bank till date.
The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, SAN, in his remarks, while flagging off the empowerment ceremony, explained that the programme is part of President Muhammadu Buhari’s strategy to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within ten years.
“These empowerment programmes, entrepreneurship programmes and all that, were designed to get to the very bottom of the grassroots, assist more businesses, skill up Nigerians and to ensure that they are self-reliant and self-employed. This is the real employment we are talking about. And for all the beneficiaries here today, 684 of them here today, a new journey begins in their lives”, he added.
Keyamo tasked beneficiaries of the empowerment programme to pay adequate attention during the training and ensure that they take full advantage of the unique opportunities to create value for themselves and others.
In his welcome address, Director-General of National Directorate of Employment, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo, disclosed that over 77,000 participants of the ESPW programme have so far been provided with the necessary skills and empowerment to render financial payment services to customers across the nation through the Hope Payment Services Bank.
Fikpo lauded President Buhari and the Minister for supporting and stabilising the NDE towards discharging its statutory mandate.
