The Nation Newspaper

Category: Small Business

  • SMEs way out of challenges, says SMEDAN boss

    SMEs way out of challenges, says SMEDAN boss

    The Director-General, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Alhaji Mohammed Umar, has said Nigeria’s security and unemployment challenges could be addressed with small businesses.

    Umar spoke in Jos, Plateau State, at the presentation of the findings of the Enterprise Baseline Survey (EBS) 2012 Report.

    He said the problems were caused by population growth not matched by developemnt in other sectors ofthe economy.

    “The gap between population explosion and small medium scale businesses accounts for the crises we are experiencing.

    “Check every nation today, the small businesses sub-sector is the most important one. If it develops, the nation develops.’’

    The SMEDAN boss expressed worry that much of the country’s developmental efforts were geared toward political development at the expense of the economy.

    “The country’s development has been concentrated on political development to the extent that one can say that we have over-developed politically which has landed us into crises.

    “We should have given more attention to the economy, and in particular, small businesses.

    “No society can control the effects of population explosion if it has no small businesses to engage the youths.’’

    Umar said, however, that all hope was not lost as President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda had reawakened the sub-sector for SMEs to thrive.

    He said the EBS, powered by German International Cooperation (GIZ) was aimed at providing a direction towards developing the SMEs.

    Umar also advised the Plateau government to make the best use of the survey to develop its private sector.”GIZ has conducted a detailed survey on SMEs. Plateau has a reliable data and should use it to plan. We (SMEDAN), are prepared and willing to work with the state for the development of the small businesses.’’

    Umar recalled that Jos, the Plateau capital, used to be the commercial hub of the north in 70s and challenged the state government to restore that lost glory.

    Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang, who was represented by Prof. Shedrach Best, the Secretary to the state government, said the state would welcome efforts that would make the private sector succeed.

    “The focus of this programme is to support the Plateau government in the area governance, gender and the provision of enabling environment for private sector development.”

    We are prepared to make the most of it,’’ he said.

    He said that the Plateau Government was proud to be part of any initiative that was driven by GIZ as they had been partners for long.

    The governor declared that Plateau was safe for business and urged interested investors to come to the state as permanent peace had returned.

  • Fed Govt urged to support SMEs

    Fed Govt urged to support SMEs

    A FORMER President of the Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, Mr Hyke Ochia, has urged the Federal Government to develop the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) to reduce unemployment in the country.

    Speaking in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, he said the government should initiate programmes that would promote private-public partnership for the benefit of Nigerians.

    ‘’Everything lies on the government, even though the government is not supposed to provide jobs, it is supposed to provide the enabling environment for jobs to be created.

    ‘’When they do that, they create room for businesses to spring up because in most developed economies, the majority of the employers are the medium and small scale industries.

    ‘’The large scale industries are limited. They can employ, may be one million people and it stops there, they cannot go beyond that. But when you look at the medium and small scale industries, they could multiply themselves in various fields and when these ones are not thriving, obviously, you will have that gap of unemployment.’’

     

  • Students to hold roundtable

    Nigerian students studying in the United Kingdom are planning a youth entrepreneurial roundtable for July in Abuja to develop the potential of youth in the country, an official has said .

    The President of the Nigerian Students Association in the Diaspora, UK chapter, Mr Olalekan Oshunkoya, made this known during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

    He said the essence of the event is to sensitise young people to the ways of developing their potential.

    Oshunkoya noted that lack of employment for young people after graduation retarded progress and hampered nation building. He, however, decried crave by the youth to travel abroad in their quest to make quick money, adding that such attitude was inimical to the ability of the youth to explore their potential.

    He expressed optimism that the planned conference would help to promote entrepreneurial skills development and boost the youth participation in nation building process.

    “We are actually looking at the potential of young people; we know Nigeria has been dependent on oil for a very long time, but what is the future of Nigeria?

    “What are other things we can do? Where are the potential. What are the entrepreneurial opportunities in those areas?

    “We are bringing stakeholders in government; in private sector to look at it, everybody visiting Nigeria what they see is just oil, there are other things, that you cannot see.

    “We are going to expose those things in a global roundtable and debate it, and expose young people to career opportunities outside the traditional oil industry.

    “And then, in technology, in education, in research; the idea is to ensure that young people are aware of the opportunities at home.

    “Then they can come back home and be part of the process that brings change; we believe that democracy is about public participation.

    “The fact that we are outside the country doesn’t mean we are no longer part of the government anymore.”

    Another thing we are doing in July, taking place in Abuja is Nigerian students’ enterprise conference.

    “We are going to be having the Nigerian students’ enterprise conference, to let young Nigerians and students know, that there is a potential for Nigeria beyond oil.”

    He advised youth interested in pursuing education abroad to garner experience in choice field of study to enable them actualise their aspiration.