The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) says 450 entrepreneurs in the South-East will be trained under the National Business Skills Development Initiative (NBSDI).
The Director-General of SMEDAN, Mr Olawale Fasanya, disclosed this on Tuesday during the opening ceremony of the training of the NBSDI beneficiaries in Enugu.
Fasanya, represented by the South-East Coordinator of SMEDAN, Mr Victor Ugwu, said NBSDI was designed to provide entrepreneurial and vocational skills as well as empowerment materials to fill the capacity gap of the youths.
He said that the programme was being implemented in all the states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to Fasanya, 3,330 entrepreneurs will be impacted entrepreneurship and vocational skills and empowerment materials at the rate of 90 entrepreneurs per state and FCT.
“Today, the programme is starting simultaneously in all the states within the South-East where a total of 450 entrepreneurs will be impacted with entrepreneurship and vocational training and equipment,” he said.
He said that the 90 benefitting entrepreneurs in Enugu State would be engaged in fashion, laundry and catering services.
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“The expected outcome of the programme include improved business management practice, improved service provision by trained artisans, increased access to finance and equipment, increase in the number of formalised artisanal businesses,” he said.
Fasanya described the Nano, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (NMSMEs) sub-sector as critical to the economy, adding that it accounted for the highest number of jobs created in the economy.
“The 2020 National MSMEs Survey revealed that there are 39.6 million MSMEs employing 62.5 million persons and contributing 46.31 per cent and 6.21 per cent to nominal GDP and exports respectively,” Fasanya said.
One of the participants, Mrs Esther Igbonu, said that the training would afford her the opportunity to acquire more skills and be self-reliant.
(NAN)
