“I have a small barbershop, I wanted to make it bigger, but because of lacking money, I could not make any change,” Diyar Miskin, a resident of Bozai village in Alqosh subdistrict said when he participated in the Nineveh Investment Facilitation Initiative (NIFI) to succeed his small business.
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funds the project and arranged a workshop for the small business owners on Tuesday, March 3.
Generally, the project aims to create more job opportunities and further invest in the small business initiated by the residents of the region.
“The greatest problem in our subdistrict is lack of job opportunities,” said the commissioner of the Alqosh subdistrict.
Miskin said, “at this workshop, I learned how to expand a small business and invest in it.”
After filling out a form to receive a five million Iraqi Dinar loan, he said, “ealrier, I visited many places to receive loans to make changes to my shop, but it was unhelpful.”
Earlier, I visited many places to receive loans to make changes to my shop
“I am sure this project will be a great factor for the development of business in Alqosh subdistrict.”
Alqosh is a predominant Christian subdistrict with a small population of Yazidis and Muslims.
Lara Yousif, the Alqosh commissioner, said, “regarding security, Alqosh has no issue. Business people and investors can initiate tens of projects on tourism and agriculture, and we will make all the facilitation… the only problem of Alqosh is lack of jobs.”
The only problem of Alqosh is lack of job
“I am sure this project will create numerous great job opportunities for youth and people of the area who have graduated but lack jobs,” She said
35 women and men participated in the workshop, and most of the participants have small businesses and want to invest in them.
Kariz Zozik, an expert in the private sector, said they would help the people with filling out the form, which will provide them 5 million IQD without any interest rate.
Zozik works for DIA organization, which is a partner of the project.
“Any person who wants to take the loan must be from a disputed area in Iraq, and a government employee should vouch for him or her, and if the person fulfills all the requirements, then he or she will be given the loan,” Zozik said.
