{
  "id": 17796018,
  "title": "Over 5,350 Cross River MSMEs Empowered As MEDA, Owan Enoh Rally Support for Tinubu’s Re-election",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/02/over-5-350-cross-river-msmes-empowered-as-meda-owan-enoh-rally",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-02T12:21:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "This Day",
    "slug": "this-day",
    "url": "https://www.thisdaylive.com/2026/11/02/over-5350-cross-river-msmes-empowered-as-meda-owan-enoh-rally-support-for-tinubus-re-election/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Over 5,350 micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Cross River State have received support from the state and federal governments, according to the Cross River State Micro Enterprise Development Agency (MEDA). The assistance has included direct cash grants, skill acquisition, and capacity-building programs, reaching businesses across the state's three senatorial districts. MEDA's Director-General, Mr. Great Ogban, revealed that the interventions have positively impacted the local economy, with beneficiaries making good use of the support to expand their operations. The federal government has also allocated financial facilities and administrative reliefs to ease the cost of doing business. The Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan Enoh, highlighted the crucial role of small businesses in Nigeria's economy, accounting for nearly 96% of businesses, contributing 40% to the nation's GDP, and generating about 87% of national employment. Enoh urged entrepreneurs to support continuity in economic governance and expressed excitement about upcoming federal industrial initiatives in Cross River State, including an electric bicycle assembly plant, land allocation for an automotive project, and various federal grant programs.",
  "summary": "No fewer than 5,350 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and local entrepreneurs across Cross River State have benefited from direct cash grants, skill acquisition and capacity-building programmes under",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}