The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) on Thursday flagged off training programme for 90 young entrepreneurs under its National Business Skills Development Initiative (NBSDI) in Anambra State.
The agency’s Director General, Mr. Wale Fasanya, represented by Deputy Director in charge of Entrepreneurship Development and Promotion, Department, Mrs. Fatima Shaibu, inaugurated the five-day training in Awka on Wednesday.
Fasanya explained that the programme was designed to provide entrepreneurship skills, vocational skills and provision of empowerment materials and equipment to fill the capacity gap of youths in productive ventures.
According to him, the NBSDI programme seeks to pursue a drastic reduction in dependency poverty as most of the out of school youths who still rely on stipends from parents are empowered to become self-reliant.
He said: “The initiative is designed to ensure that more professional services will be provided by local and well trained young artisans leading to reduction in job losses to immigrants from neighbouring countries.
“This programme is being implemented in all the States of the federation and FCT. A total of 3,330 entrepreneurs will be impacted with entrepreneurship skills, vocational skills and empowerment materials at the rate of 90 entrepreneurs per State and the FCT”, he added.
Fasanya thanked Governor Chukwuma Soludo for supporting the agency’s entrepreneurial initiatives since his assumption of office.
In his remarks, Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Dr. Obinna Ngonadi, thanked the Federal Government for supporting small and medium entrepreneurs in the country and charged the trainees to take advantage of the training and the start-up capital they would get at the end of it to enhance their operations.
The commissioner said the programme was in line with the objective of the government’s agend to set up 2,000 small businesses yearly in the state.
The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) on Thursday partnered the Ogun State Government to train 100 teachers across the state in entrepreneurship skills.
