The federal government states that the Renewed Hope Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme will introduce stronger mechanisms for transparency and accountability, and broaden access by ensuring that no Nigerian is left behind.

The Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Yusuf Sununu, said this at the national roundtable on the RH-GEEP 3.0 in Abuja.

According to Mr Sununu, the theme is timely, purposeful, and a true reflection of a shared responsibility to make financial empowerment accessible, accountable, and transformative.

“The RH-GEEP is one of the flagship programmes of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA). It is designed to support petty traders, farmers, artisans, and small business owners with interest-free credit that enables them to grow their businesses, provide for their families, and contribute to our national economy.

“It is designed to support petty traders, farmers, artisans, and small business owners with interest-free credit that will enable them to grow their businesses, provide for their families, and contribute to our national economy.

“Since its inception, the programme has touched millions of lives. However, with RH-GEEP 3.0, we are raising the bar, introducing stronger mechanisms for transparency, leveraging technology for accountability, and broadening access to ensure that no Nigerian is left behind,” Mr Sununu said.

Mr Sununu described trust as the cornerstone of every successful social protection programme.

The minister urged Nigerians to trust that government interventions were fair, transparent, and impactful.

He said that through digital registration, robust monitoring and evaluation systems, and open reporting, RH-GEEP 3.0 would ensure that funds disbursed can be traced to a beneficiary whose life is genuinely being transformed.

He further stated that financial inclusion was not merely about access to credit, but about unlocking opportunities, building resilience, and enabling economic participation.

“For our farmers, it means the ability to invest in better seeds and tools. For our traders and market women, it means expanding stock and stabilising income,” he said.

Also speaking, the national coordinator of NSIPA, Badamasi Lawal, said that the programme was designed to provide microcredit and financial support to millions of Nigerians at the base of the economic pyramid.

“While notable progress has been recorded under GEEP 1.0 and 2.0, there are critical lessons that we must carry forward into RH-GEEP 3.0

“It is not a mere continuation; it is a recalibration. It represents a conscious shift in how we approach microcredit, anchored on trust: re-establishing confidence with beneficiaries, the wider public, and stakeholders.

“Our goal is to reach five million beneficiaries by 2027, with a strong and positive repayment culture. This is ambitious, but it is achievable if we work in alignment,” Mr Lawal said.

Similarly, Hamza Baba, the programme manager of GEEP, stated that the collective goal was to ensure that every intervention translated into measurable progress for households, communities, and the nation at large.

The event attracted officials from the Ministry of Women Affairs, several commercial banks, the NDE, the Bank of Industry, and many other stakeholders.

The high point of the event was a documentary on the benefits of the programme.

(NAN)