Business
Minister Lists SMEs Benefits
The Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku, said on Tuesday that Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) were the foundation and backbone of every strong economy.
Maku said in Jos that the Federal Government was committed to a strong base for SMEs in its efforts to strengthen the economy and make more Nigerians more self-reliant.
The minister spoke when he led the national good governance tour to inspect the Technology Incubation Centre, Bukuru.
He said the centre represented an institutional mechanism for research and development, adding that it was integrated by the Federal Government to support budding entrepreneurs in the development of new technology-based firms.
“This institution helps in value re-orientation by creating the attitude toward personal initiation, creative innovation, risk taking and entrepreneurship,’’ he said.
He said that the SMEs had continued to create jobs that had empowered many youths.
The minister later inspected the activities of 15 entrepreneurs some of which specialised on food processing, fabrication, metal work, leather work and solid minerals processing.
Others were concerned with school chalks as well as Plaster of Paris (POP) used by medics.
We observed that the products were carried out using locally machines invented by some of the entrepreneurs.
Mr Dashe, the centre manager, in a speech, said that the centre had admitted 15 entrepreneurs with viable businesses, and had manufactured 36 new products while creating 81 direct job opportunities.
Our correspondent reports that the centre was established in 2007 to commercialise research and development.