Boost For Nigerian Businesses As SMEDAN Seeks EFCC Collaboration

The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has called for a partnership with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to promote Nigerian-made products, strengthen youth entrepreneurship and create more opportunities for Nigerians.

According to Bush Radio Academy, SMEDAN Director-General Charles Odii made the appeal in Abuja on Wednesday during a visit by a delegation from the agency to the EFCC headquarters, where he met with the commission’s Executive Chairman, Ola Olukoyede.

Odii explained that SMEDAN was implementing programmes designed to equip young Nigerians with practical skills that could enable them to establish and expand their own businesses.

He disclosed that the agency had received approval from the Ministry of Education to establish the Inspire, Create, Start, and Scale (ICSS) Institute, which is expected to provide National Diploma programmes while incorporating entrepreneurship and practical skills into its training.

According to Odii, the initiative is designed to ensure that young Nigerians do not only obtain academic qualifications but also develop practical abilities that can help them become entrepreneurs and contribute to economic growth.

The SMEDAN DG also highlighted the agency’s skills-development programmes for inmates nearing the completion of their sentences. He said the initiative was aimed at equipping them with useful skills that could help them become economically productive and reintegrate into society after their release.

Odii added that the proposed national Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) policy would also address the reintegration of former inmates who had demonstrated remorse and acquired relevant skills.

The policy, which is being prepared for presentation to the Federal Government, is expected to provide a framework for the development of Nigeria’s MSME sector over a five-year period.

Olukoyede welcomed the proposed collaboration and disclosed that the EFCC Cybersecurity Research and Training Centre would be capable of training about 500 people at a time.

The EFCC chairman also encouraged Nigerians to support the country’s economy by patronising locally made goods and services.