Lagos State Government has empowered 3,792 residents with business equipment under the 2026 Micro Enterprise Support Initiative (MESI).
It reaffirmed its commitment to poverty alleviation, entrepreneurship and economic inclusion.
Speaking at the empowerment programme in Ikeja, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the initiative reflected his administration’s determination to improve livelihoods by providing residents with the tools needed to establish and grow sustainable businesses.
He said the programme was in line with the state’s THEMES+ Agenda, noting that supporting artisans, traders, women, youths and other small business owners remained critical to strengthening the economy.
The governor said each empowerment package represented an opportunity for beneficiaries to create wealth, become financially independent and contribute to job creation across the state.
Deputy Governor Dr. Obafemi Hamzat urged beneficiaries to make judicious use of the equipment, saying the intervention should serve as a foundation for building viable businesses.
He advised them to remain committed, manage the resources responsibly and develop enterprises capable of supporting their families, while creating employment opportunities for others.
Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Bolaji Dada, described the initiative as an investment in the future of Lagos residents rather than a mere distribution of equipment.
She said more than 35,000 residents had graduated from the ministry’s tuition-free skills acquisition centres, while nearly 19,000 beneficiaries have received start-up equipment through the MESI programme since the inception of the Sanwo-Olu administration.
Dada added that the ministry had also reached thousands of residents through digital skills training, food support initiatives, agricultural programmes, grants for widows and interventions for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence as part of efforts to promote inclusive development.
The Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, commended the state government for sustaining empowerment programmes aimed at improving the standard of living of residents.
He urged beneficiaries not to sell the equipment but to put them to productive use, stressing that the initiative was designed to nurture entrepreneurs and employers of labour.
Items distributed to beneficiaries included sewing machines, catering equipment, hairdressing and barbing kits, photography equipment, agricultural processing machines, deep freezers, popcorn machines, grinding machines and food items for traders.