SMEDAN moves to remove obstacles hindering SMEs growth

Small and Medium Enterprises Development of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has reaffirmed its commitment to address bottlenecks that affect the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria.

Speaking after meeting with the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Abuja, the Director General of SMEDAN, Charles Odii expressed the readiness of the Agency to champion the Renewed Hope economic prosperity agenda, particularly by addressing obstacles hindering SME growth.

Odii explained that meeting with the President presented the Agency with the opportunity to discuss the ‘Grow Nigeria’ a strategy designed to offer SMEs essential guidance, resources, opportunities, and workforce support to thrive.

According to a statement by the media unit of SMEDAN, the DG said “SMEs are central to the president’s mission to eradicate poverty and ensure prosperity reaches all corners of Nigeria.

“His commitment was evident as we discussed SMEDAN’s GROW Nigerian strategy, which includes plans to create an enabling environment for over 40 million small businesses, collectively providing over 60 million jobs. We are not only going to protect them from inflationary pressures but also empower them to drive down such trends.”

Odii noted that “we will work with sister government agencies to streamline regulations and optimize them for growth and productivity. We will remove obstacles that hinder formalization and growth.”

“With the strategy, SMEs will get affordable financing opportunities, access to lucrative domestic and international markets, tailored mentorship, and support to compete through capacity building for improved production standards.”

“The president has expressed his support, and this was both exciting and reassuring. I am thankful to the President for his time and exemplary leadership,” DG stated.