DG SMEDAN: We will create jobs to alleviate poverty in Nigeria

Mr Olawale Fasanya, Director General (DG) of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), stated that the Agency would continue to assist entrepreneurs in creating jobs and reducing poverty in Nigeria.

Fasanya made the remarks on Sunday at the launch of the Women In Self Empowerment Programme (WISE-P) in Katsina.

The DG, represented by Alhaji Ado Bello, the agency’s Director of Enterprises and Promotions, stated that the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) subsector was critical in the transformation of the Nigerian economy.

According to him, MSMEs are responsible for the majority of job creation and poverty alleviation in the country.

According to a national survey conducted in 2020, 39.6 MSMEs employed 62.5 million people in the country, accounting for 80.2 percent of the national labor force.

MSMEs and SMEDAN, he said, were collaborating with a non-governmental organization, the African Centre for Global Entrepreneurial Leadership (ACGEL), to implement the Leadership Entrepreneurial Game Show (LEGS).

“The Agency is also collaborating with the Bank of Agriculture (BOA), Jaiz Bank, and Sterling Bank to gain access to the Matching Fund for Micro and Small Enterprises,” he added.

Fasanya stated that SMEDAN had implemented a Specialised Skills programme for IDPs, retirees, and prison inmates in six states across the federation.

He named Ondo, Imo, Katsina, Borno, Rivers, and Niger among the states.

According to him, 240 people received entrepreneurial and vocational training, with 40 people benefiting in the states.