In a bid to grow the state’s economy through productivity, the Ekiti State Government and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) have collaborated to empower small and medium-scale business owners in the state.
The beneficiaries who were drawn across all strata of the state were trained and provided with the financial aid of N50,000 each and materials such as sowing machines, gas cookers, and cameras among others to expand their businesses.
Speaking during the event, Ekiti state Governor Biodun Oyebanji reiterated his administration’s commitment to forging strategic partnerships that will uplift the socio-economic status of the state and create economic opportunities for the citizens.
The governor said potentials in the state’s informal sector would be harnessed to achieve his administration’s economic prosperity target through an effective Public Private Partnership initiative.
Oyebanji who reiterated his administration’s efforts to support small and medium-sized enterprises through financial aid, training programs, and easier market access, noted that partnering with SMEDAN and other financial institutions is being strengthened to further provide MSMEs in the state with the necessary capital to grow and prosper their businesses.
He said many individuals possess the necessary integrity, skills, education, resilience, and work ethic but lack opportunities to showcase their abilities, hence the need to forge partnerships with development agencies to open doors of prospects for such individuals.
Governor Oyebanji further revealed that his administration is working on various strategies aimed at empowering small business owners in the state with a focus on leveraging local content policies to elevate their business.
Oyebanji said, “The reason many of us are not rich in Ekiti is because we don’t have helpers, and if that is the only thing I will do for Ekiti as Governor, I will appreciate God.
“I don’t agree that Ekiti is poor, but I agree that we lack helper. For the entrepreneurs, I know their challenges but we can overcome and that’s why I have gone to invite SMEDAN to come and help us and they are here now, they have trained us and this is just the tip of the iceberg because we are still going to scale up.”
In his remark, the Director General of SMEDAN, Charles Odil commended the Governor for exploiting all means in ensuring the development of MSMEs in the state and for enhancing sustainable economic development of the country.
Odii explained that SMEDAN’s intervention is part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration’s determination to help businesses with guidance, resources, opportunities, and workforce support to boost the economic landscape of the country.
The SMEDAN boss explained that the agency’s intervention in Ekiti State includes training over 75 business owners on catering, fashion, and photography and providing them with necessary tools to grow their businesses, such as gas cookers and ovens, sewing machines, cameras, and N50,000 naira each to expand their business.
He urged business owners in the state to organize themselves and form cooperative societies, assuring them that the agency has opened partnerships with financial institutions to provide single-digit loans to expand their businesses.
The Commissioner for Investment, Trade, and Industry, Mrs Tayo Adeola said the intervention was a testament to the dedication and collaborative effort of the Oyebanji administration aimed at boosting the economic landscape of the state and ensuring the prosperity agenda of the Governor.
On his part, the Commissioner for Information, Taiwo Olatunbosun assured Ekiti residents that Governor Oyebanji would continue to collaborate with both local and international organisations and agencies for a productive economy towards achieving the shared prosperity agenda for the state.
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