The Director General of SMEDAN, Dr. Umaru Dikko has said his agency will continue to support new innovation in e-business or digital business in Nigeria has MSMEs are the bedroock of development in any country.
Dikko made this known in a stakeholders forum on MSMEs organised on Thursday in Abuja by AKG global, a company specialises on multiple internet marketing.
In his opening remarks, the Director General, SMEDAN, Dr. Umaru Dikko, who expressed delightness on the organisers of the events, AKG Global Multi-Service, said he was “elated because today MSMEs can now have platform for assessing local, regional and global markets for the development of the subsector in Nigeria”
He said, the SMEDAN “has been implementing the One Local Government, One Product Programme (OLOP) in the determination to address the challenges confronting the MSMEs” in the country, adding that to sustain this the agency is already in partnership with the the Bank of Industry and the Nigerian Export-Import Bank.
In her keynote address, the Managing Director of AKG Global, Aisha Kabir Gaya, said the objective of the platform is to register and varify over 30 million MSMEs in Nigeria and to provide 2 million job opportunities for women and youths in e-marketting as well as to train them on ICT and digital skills awareness.
Mrs Aisha said in a global environment and the huge potential the Nigerian population provides, it is an initiative every youth must tap into and take advantage of. She added that, there is the “need for both the private and the public sector and individuals or group to look inward to encourag our ” teaming unskilled and unemployed youths roaming the streets and posing to be potential threat to our peaceful coexistence to make life more meaningful for them.
She however called on all stakeholders like SON, NEPC, FMT&I, CBN and host of others presented at the summit to encourage and support the innovation programme and help to compliment the federal government mandate to provide job for all.