Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, yesterday, announced that 15,000 petty traders in the state would be given N50,000 each as palliative. He said this during the commissioning of the Mid-Level Agroproduce Hub at Idi-Oro, Mushin.

The governor said that the support was meant to expand petty traders’ businesses. According to him, each local council is expected to submit 250 beneficiaries and that each council chairman will be expected to coordinate the submission of the names by bringing forward 200 names, while the market leader in each council will submit additional 50 names.

Sanwo-Olu, who was optimistic that the newly-commissioned agro-produce hub would lead to better profit for the traders aside cutting waste resulting from poor preservation process, described the new mid-level agro-produce hubas the first in the state, heralding a turning point in the state’s food distribution system.

The governor said that plans were already on to construct additional three hubs at Agege, Ajah and Abule-Ado axis of the state.The Commissioner for Agriculture, Abisola Olusanya, who thanked the governor for supporting and believing in the project,said she was optimistic that the new hub would be of huge benefits to traders and consumers.

Meanwhile, Sanwo-Olu has called on local and international investors to support and partner Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to scale up products and services to break into African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and global market.

The governor, who spoke during the closing ceremony of the Eighth Lagos MSMEs Exclusive Trade Fair held at the Y-Arena Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Economic Growth,” at the weekend, represented by the Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, said the fair was meant to promote the products and services of entrepreneurs in the state at no cost.