The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), has hailed the inauguration of Association of Certified Business Development Service Providers of Nigeria (ACBDSP).
The Director-General of SMEDAN, Olawale Fasanya, described it as a welcome development, adding that the association would deepen the practice of business development services in Nigeria.
Fasanya said this on Tuesday when the Board of Trustees (BOT) and members of the ACBDSP visited him in Abuja.
The SMEDAN boss reiterated the objectives of the BDSP programme in Nigeria, saying that the Federal Government plans to achieve a more effective Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) sector through it.
While pledging SMEDAN’s commitment to collaborate with the new association, Fasanya tasked all certified Business Development Service Providers (BDSPs) to work hard under the umbrella of ACBDSP.
According to him, this is to bring value to the SMEs in Nigeria and to promote the growth of the sector.
Fasanya further urged the association to drive the commitment of its members toward the shared goals.
He assured the association of SMEDAN’s readiness to support to promote the development of SMEs in the country.
The Chairman BOT, ACBDSP, Stanley Muoneke, commended SMEDAN for the foresight and support during the formation of the association as well as its continued efforts to develop the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sector in Nigeria.
Muoneke also hailed the leadership role played by the Enterprise Development Centre of the Pan Atlantic University as well as Kaduna Business School.
He said that the ACBDSP aimed at build a community of professional BDSP practitioners who define excellence and advance ethics for the business development service Providers profession and practice in Nigeria.
“Going into the future, SMEDAN and ACBDSP expect to work closely together on key projects aimed at bringing value and growth to the MSMEs sector in Nigeria,’’ Muoneke said.
The BOT members of the ACBDSP include Prof. Helen Andow, Dr Dahiru Sani and Hajia Raliat Oyetunde.
Others are Mike Alade, Helen Emore, Ibrahim Buwanhot and Onaifo Uwa.
It would be recalled that in 2018, the Federal Government through SMEDAN, set up a national framework for the accreditation and certification of business development service providers.
It aims at setting the standard for business development interventions by certifying a mark of quality for the delivery of business development services to the MSMEs in Nigeria.
BDSPs, who go through training and accreditation process attain the standard benchmark for business development services interventions.
They become certified and assist MSMEs in strategy, performance, competitiveness as well as facilitate access to finance therefore directly contributing to the country’s economic development.
The ACBDSP was formed and incorporated by the certified BDSPs in April 2022 as a platform for advancing professional practice of BDSPs in Nigeria.
It acts as springboard for members to exchange ideas, accelerate business growth, strengthen practical knowledge, drive common standards, and enhance client relationships.
