Over 30 million MSMEs to benefit from on-line market store

About 30 million Micro and Medium Scale Entrepreneurs (MSMEs) in Nigeria will benefit from an online business support services through e-marketplace, business directory and bulks SMS portal and also enjoy frequent capacity building and global network to keep their businesses afloat.

The young entrepreneurs will also be linked to all the necessary software with the assistance of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITA) and be educated on the standardization polices of the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) and will be availed with the export options as articulated by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) so that their products can find a space in the world market.

This was disclosed Tuesday in Abuja during a two day training workshop on “MSMEs Digital Marketing and Entrepreneurship Skills” organized by Small and Medium Scale Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) in collaboration with A.K.G Global Multi-Services Company Limited.

In his opening address, the Director General of SMEDAN, Dr. Umaru Dikko Radda who was represented by the Director, Policy and Coordination Mr Ewans stated that the problems with enteprenurs in Nigerian is not just access to finance but most importantly the acquisition of adequate skills and availability of the needed market place to dispose their good and innovations.

Dikko added that the new market place portat developed by AK.G.Global will assis in a seamless marketing of Nigerian goods and services to the global market and also enable enterpeneurs get the real value of their goods and services.

He said, “the Agency in collaboration with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) conducted the baseline National MSMEs survey in 2010 where we found out that there are 17.3 million MSMEs employing about 32.4 million persons and contributing about 46.54% to GDP in nominal terms.

“Subseqently in 2014, the Agency also in collaboration with the NBS conducted another National MSMEs survey which revealed interesting and outstanding results. The result of the 2013 National MSMEs survey showed, among others, that there are 37 million MSMEs, employing 59.7 Million persons contributing 48.47% to GDP and 7.27 % to export” stated Dikko.

The Director General maintained that SMEDAN had evolved several policies to address the challenges confronting the growth of MSMEs in the country, saying that one of such measures was “implementing the One Local Government One Product Programme (OLOP)” which he said had been implemented in some states like Katsina “where organic clusters involved in the production of Kilishi are being empowered to increase their level of operations in the area of capacity building, access to equipment, acess to working capital and access to workspace.”

He equally disclosed that states like Anambra also benefited from the programme “where organic clusters involved in palm kernel oil production”, while cassava production clusters in the Federal Capital Territory and Honey production clusters in Osun States will also be enrolled into the programme.

Dikko further stated that SMEDAN in collaboration with the Bank of Industry (BOI) and Nigeria Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) is working towards the establishment of an SME Rating Agency in Nigeria “expected to de-risk the MSMEs and ensure that they have a seamless access to affordable finance with respect to credit and credibility”.

According to Dikko, SMEDAN also established a “credit information portal” in partnership with the Department for Internationa Development (DFID) in 2016 to enable MSMEs have reliable access to information for their credit needs.

The Managing Director, A.T.K Global, Hajiya Aisha Kabiru Gaya in her keynote address said that the MSME business portal will enable over 30 million Nigerian entrepreneurs network with investors across the globe using digital technology.

She said, “The target of NEMEP is to register and verify over 30 million MSMEs by providing them with ICT business support services through the NEMEP E-Market place, Business Directory and Bulk SMS portal.

“Indeed, the internet has made the impossible possible because the world is now linked together as a Global village with access to information on anything or anyone on the web.

“A.K.G Global is today very happy to launch the “NEMEP” portal which serves as a tool to support businesses on-line as e-store.

“The portal is specially designed to give women, youth and the MSMEs a chance to train and become vendors, e-marketers/business owners on this platform”.

Present at the event were Senator Kabiru Gaya, Wife of the Kebbi Governor, Hajiya Atiku Bagudu, representatives of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

Myke Uzendu and Ejimbe Eric, Abuja