We’ll Create Jobs To Alleviate Poverty In Nigeria –DG SMEDA

We’ll Create Jobs To Alleviate Poverty In Nigeria 

Mr. Olawale Fasanya, Di­rector Gener­al (DG) of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMED­AN), said the Agency would continue to support entrepre­neurs to create jobs and 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 of the agency, the DG said the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) subsector played a critical role in the transformation of Nigerian economy.

According to him, MSMEs account for the highest jobs cre­ated and poverty alle­viation in the country.

He said a national survey conducted in 2020 showed that 39.6 MSMEs em­ployed 62.5 million people in the country, which represented 80.2 per cent of the national labour force.

He said in order to ensure access to fi­nance, MSMEs and SMEDAN were 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 had implement­ed a Specialised Skills programme for Internally Displced Persons, (IDPs), retirees and prison in­mates, in six states across the federation.

He said the states in­cluded Ondo, Imo, Katsina, Borno, Rivers and Niger.

According to him, 240 persons were support­ed with entrepreneural and vocational skills, 40 people benefitted in the states. (NAN)