Some artisans in Dutse, Jigawa State, have urged the government and financial institutions to adopt practical measures to enhance access to soft loans and encourage local content development. 

They said that such credit support would enable them to expand their businesses, acquire modern equipment and create more employment opportunities.

The artisans, who spoke in separate interviews on Saturday in Dutse, said access to affordable credit facilities remained one of the major challenges limiting the growth of small enterprises.

A welder, Musa Ibrahim, said many artisans possessed the skills needed to grow their businesses but lacked the financial resources to purchase modern tools and machineries.

He said that most of the commercial loans attract high interest rates and stringent conditions restricting small business owners to access.

“If we have access to soft loans with flexible repayment terms, many of us will be able to expand our workshops, employ more apprentices and improve the quality of our services,” he said.

A carpenter, Sani Abdullahi, said that provision of affordable financing would enable artisans to increase production and meet the growing demand for locally made products.

He noted that the rising cost of raw materials was making it difficult for many artisans to sustain their businesses without external financial support.

“Many of us rely on personal savings to run our businesses. With soft loans, we can purchase materials in bulk, reduce production costs and increase our profits,” he said.

Also, a clothier, Amina Bello, said that inadequate capital base forced young entrepreneurs to abandon promising ventures.

She urged relevant government agencies to simplify the process of accessing intervention funds for small and medium-scale enterprises.

According to Ms Bello, vocational skills alone are not enough to guarantee business success without access to finance.

“We have the skills and the willingness to work, but financing remains a major obstacle. Affordable loans will encourage more youths to become self-reliant instead of waiting for white-collar jobs,” she said.

On his part, a cobbler, Usman Haruna, said financial support would enable artisans to adopt modern production techniques and improve their competitiveness.

According Mr Haruna, artisans require financial literacy training to ensure effective management of loans.

Mr Haruna said improved access to financing would improve the quality of goods and services while creating more employment opportunities for youths.

He urged stakeholders to strengthen collaboration aimed at empowering artisans, describing the sector as a critical driver of economic growth and poverty reduction. 

(NAN)