The Director General (DG), of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Mr. Olawale Fasanya has pledged that the agency would continue to support entrepreneurs to create jobs to alleviate poverty in Nigeria.
Fasanya said this during the flag off of Women In Self Empowerment Programme,(WISE-P) in Katsina on Sunday.
Represented by Alhaji Ado Bello, Director Enterprises and Promotions, (ED and P) of the agency, the DG said that Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) subsector plays critical roles in the transformation of the Nigerian economy.
According to him, they account for the highest jobs creation and poverty alleviations in the country.
According to him, national survey by MSMEs in 2020 shows that 39.6 Medium and Small Scale Enterprises employed 62.5 million people in the country which represents 80.2 per cent of the national labour force.
He said that in an effort to ensure credible access to finance, MSMEs and SMEDAN are partnering with a Non-Governmental Organisation, African Centre for Global Entrepreneurial Leadership (ACGEL) to implement the Leadership Entrepreneurial Game Show, (LEGS).
“The agency is also partnering with the Bank of Agriculture (BOA), Jaiz Bank and Sterling Bank to access Matching Fund for Micro and Small Enterprises” he said.
Fasanya noted that SMEDAN has implemented a specialized skills programme for Internally Displced Persons, (IDPs), retirees and prison inmates, in six states across the federation.
He said that the states include Ondo, Imo, Katsina, Borno, Rivers and Niger.
According to him, 240 persons were g supported with entrepreneurial and vocational skills with 40 people benefitting from each state.
