The Federal Government will provide a non-interest loan of 50,000 naira each to 1.5 million market women under the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme to improve their capital and expand their businesses.

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr BETTA EDU made the announcement in Abuja during an advocacy visit to the Minister of Information and National Orientation, MOHAMMED IDRIS.

According to her, the 75 billion naira market women fund to be known as the ‘Iyaloja Fund’ for poor market women traders would be launched on October 17.

The minister said the programme would be implemented in three phases with 500,000 persons scheduled to benefit from the first phase.