SMEDAN PLANS TO TRAIN & EMPOWER 870 ENTREPRENEURS IN SOUTH EAST
REPORTER: AMECHI ODO
The Director General, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Dr. Dikko Radda, says efforts are on to create National Enterprises Development Fund to enable the Agency support small business with grants and credits.
He stated this in a message to the launch of National Business Skills Development Initiative in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.
The National Business Skills Development Initiative (NBSDI) is a programme designed to provide entrepreneurship and vocational skills in addition to the provision of equipment to fill the capacity gap in youths and address the problem of unemployment.
Dr. Radda represented by the Director Entrepreneur Development and Promotion, Mr. Monday Ewans, explained that the Agency was poised to train and empower 870 entrepreneurs in the five states of South East zone.
He noted that 145 of them would be trained for five days in Ebonyi State, emphasising that the Agency was seeking the amendment of its Act to create more access to financing for Medium and Small Enterprises (MSMES).
Ebonyi State Governor, Chief David Umahi, represented by the Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Business Development, Dr. Stephen Odo, called for effective participation of the beneficiaries and emphasised the need for the incorporation of state governments into MSMES programme development for proper monitoring and evaluation.
Two of the beneficiaries, Mr. Joseph Okoroidam and Miss Justina Ebi, expressed delight in the training and expressed the hope that it would make them to be self reliant.
Radio Nigeria gathered that the participants would be provided with equipment to be deployed to their chosen vocation and businesses.