The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has said that the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) have the potential to cause entrepreneurial revolution in industry, agriculture and commerce.
The Director-General of the Agency, Mr Olawale Fasanya, said this on Tuesday in Owerri, while declaring open the National Business Skills Development Initiative.
Fasanya, represented by a Deputy Director in the agency, Mrs Chibuzo Osuoha, said that the initiative was designed to train and empower artisans in different skills.
He said that the Federal Government was poised to grow the country’s economy through entrepreneurship.
He described the National Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (NMSMEs) sub-sector as critical to the nation’s economic growth and development.
According to him, NMSMEs account for the highest number of jobs created in the economy.
“The most recent national MSMEs survey of 2020 revealed that there are 39.6 MSMEs, employing 62.5 million persons, accounting for 80.2 per cent of Nigeria’s labour force.
“The statistics also contributed to 6.21 per cent of nominal GDP and exports respectively,” Fasanya said.
He further opined that the initiative would enhance youths’ engagement in productive ventures to earn income and filling the artisanal gaps in the country.
The Commissioner for Commerce and Industry in Imo, Mr Simon Ebegwulam, commended SMEDAN for the initiative to grow the country’s economy through entrepreneurship.
Ebegwulam advised the trainees to seize the opportunity to develop their businesses.
A participant, Mrs Chinelo Ezekwe, thanked SMEDAN for the training, saying that she would develop a business content at the end of the workshop.
Another trainee, Mr Kingsley Okorafor, who enrolled in car wash vocation, promised to set up a car wash business.
Also in Abakaliki, Fasanya said that the programme was designed to support MSMEs “in the most practical way across the states of the federation”.
According to him, the programme is in three parts, including entrepreneurship, vocational skills and empowerment.
The SMEDAN boss, represented by a Director in the agency, Mr Monday Ewans, said that the major focus was on GSM repair, tailoring, catering, hairdressing and makeup.
“After the training, the participants will be empowered with equipment and materials to start their chosen business and improve on it,” he said.
He said that the 90 participants from Ebonyi engaged in fashion, leather works and GSM repairs.
The Commissioner for Human Development in the state, Mrs Ann Aligwe, commended the Federal Government for the initiative.
Aligwe urged the trainees to be focused in order to build and improve their business skills.
She further appealed to the Federal Government “to deepen the campaign for states to improve on job creation.
“We need mega empowerment package.
“Federal Government should do more by increasing the number of participants from Ebonyi in any training programme,” she said.
One of the trainees, Mariah Onwukwe, lauded SMEDAN for exposing them to modern business skills and pledged to utilise what she learnt to grow her business.
