SMEDAN Seeks EFCC Support For Local Products

The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has called for a partnership with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to promote locally made products, develop young entrepreneurs and create more opportunities for Nigerians.

Naija News reports that the Director-General of SMEDAN, Charles Odii, made the call in Abuja on Wednesday during a visit by a delegation from the agency to the EFCC headquarters, where he met with the commission’s Executive Chairman, Ola Olukoyede.

Odii said SMEDAN was working on several programmes aimed at giving young Nigerians practical skills that could help them establish and grow businesses.

He said the agency had received approval from the Ministry of Education to establish the Inspire, Create, Start, and Scale, ICSS, Institute.

The institute is expected to offer National Diploma programmes while also making entrepreneurship part of the training.

According to him, the programme is designed to ensure that young people do not only acquired academic qualifications but also gain practical skills that can help them become business owners and contribute to the economy.

Odii also spoke about SMEDAN’s skills programmes for inmates who are preparing to return to society.

He said the agency had been training prisoners who were nearing the end of their sentences, with the aim of equipping them with skills that could help them earn a living after their release.

He added that the proposed national MSME policy would also address the reintegration of former inmates who had shown remorse and acquired useful skills.

The policy, which is being prepared for presentation to the Federal Government, is expected to provide a framework for the development of Nigeria’s micro, small and medium enterprises over a five-year period.

The SMEDAN boss further proposed cooperation with the EFCC’s Cybersecurity Research and Training Centre. He said the agency could contribute training materials, curriculum and technical knowledge to the centre.

He also called for joint efforts to help young people involved in cybercrime acquire legitimate skills and develop businesses that could provide alternative sources of income.

Responding to the proposal, Olukoyede welcomed the planned partnership and said the EFCC was ready to work with SMEDAN on local production, youth empowerment, skills acquisition and efforts to prevent cybercrime.

The EFCC chairman said providing young Nigerians with useful skills and economic opportunities could help address some of the factors that drive youths towards cybercrime.

Olukoyede also encouraged Nigerians to patronise locally produced goods, saying stronger support for local businesses would help them expand and contribute more to the Nigerian economy.

He called for the development of a national policy that would encourage the production and consumption of Nigerian-made goods, saying such a policy could support local industries and create more economic opportunities.

The EFCC chairman also spoke about the wider impact of cybercrime on Nigeria’s economy and international image.

He said the activities of cybercriminals could cause serious damage to the country and its financial system.

He disclosed that the EFCC’s Cybersecurity Research and Training Centre was being developed to train about 500 people at a time.

He said the government was supporting the project as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s capacity to tackle cybercrime.

Olukoyede invited SMEDAN to participate in the project from its early planning stage through its eventual operation, saying the agency’s mandate made its involvement useful to the programme.

He also pledged the EFCC’s support for the ICSS initiative and other SMEDAN programmes focused on equipping young Nigerians with practical skills and encouraging entrepreneurship.

During the visit, the SMEDAN delegation presented a collection of Nigerian-made products to the EFCC.

The items included hibiscus tea, coffee, wax candles, cassava biscuits and locally produced fabric made through the agency’s Guidance, Resources, Opportunity, and Workforce, G-R-O-W, support initiative.

The meeting ended with both agencies agreeing on the need to explore practical ways of working together to improve youth skills, strengthen local businesses, promote Nigerian products and reduce young people’s involvement in crime.