Queen of Netherlands, Her Majesty, Maxima Zorreguieta Cerruti has paid a courtesy visit to the Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode as part of efforts to advance the United Nation’s financial inclusion advocacy as a vehicle to alleviate poverty and fostering equitable economic growth in Nigeria.
Queen Maxima, who was visiting Nigeria for the first time in the last five years, in her capacity as the Special Advocate to United Nations’ Secretary General on financial inclusion for development, said she was impressed by the initiatives of the State Government to improve service delivery especially towards expanding access to affordable healthcare.
While noting that it was important for governments to prioritize access to affordable healthcare, Queen Maxima particularly lauded the health insurance scheme of the State Government, which legal framework had already been put in place, saying that Governor Ambode deserved commendation for coming up with such laudable effort.
Governor Ambode in his reponding remarks , said the Health Insurance Scheme of the State Government aimed at expanding access and scaling up healthcare delivery in the State will commence in early 2018.He also said the legal framework to guide the implementation of the policy had already been put in place, while every necessary efforts to ensure the success of the scheme were being put in place.
On financial inclusion, Governor Ambode said the informal sector accounted for about 80 per cent of Lagos population, a development he said prompted his administration to set up N25billion Employment Trust Fund (ETF) to serve as an instrument to grant members of the sector access to finance.
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