Minister Harps On MSMEs Improvement Strategies 

Minister of State, Industry, Trade and Investment, Amb. Mariam Katagum, has urged newly inaugurated Focal Persons on  strategies to improve the competitiveness of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sub-sector of the economy.
Katagum, who gave the charge when she inaugurated the Focal Persons Group for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs)in Abuja, said the aim of the Focal Persons Group was to see to the  implementation of the revised national policy on MSMS (2021 – 2025).
According to her, the Focal Persons are expected to develop an implementation plan for issues within their organisations, remit and ensure the implementation of the recommendations of the Policy.
She said the Focal Persons are also to track the status of the Public Private Dialogue (PPD).
The Minister urged them to dialogue, report on progress, achievements and issues that would support the implementation, and report the challenges encountered either as an individual or an organisation in implementing the policy, saying they would help to create awareness on the National Policy within their organisations.
According to the Minister, the  focus of the policy is to create a platform or framework to collaboratively attend to some of the basic challenges of the MSMEs.
“This is why the Policy is focused on Finance, Skills development, Marketing, Technology, Research and Development of Infrastructure and Cost of Doing Business, Institutional/Legal/Regulatory issues and awareness creation on MSMEs.
“These were areas that the Public-Private Dialogue (PPD) focused on both at the National and Zonal engagements.
“The National and Zonal PPD provided platforms to create awareness on the above Policy areas and also to prompt states that have not yet inaugurated their State Councils on MSMEs into action.
“It is believed that the needed connection between the national, regional and state actors in the implementation process has been established through the several PPDs,” she said.
Katagum, however,  stated that the revised National Policy on Nano, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (NMSMEs) was very ambitious and required  multi-stakeholders partnership in implementing some of the recommendations.
Also speaking, the Acting Director-  General, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Mr Olawale Fasanya, urged enablers to ensure that Nigeria’s MSMEs sub- sector was  not just active but also globally competitive.
Fasanya said with 39 million MSMEs, the revised National Policy seeks to ensure that the sector was active, innovative and globally competitive.
According to him, to ensure a minimum target is realised before the expiration of the Policy in 2025, there is the need to create an enabling environment for MSMEs to thrive.
Noting that the growth of MSMEs would also create employment which currently stood at over sixty  one million, he said that this has pushed the sub- sector’s contributions to  the current  Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of berween 49 per cent to 70 per cent.
Fasanya, therefore,  enjoined MDAs focal persons to foster the emergence of new MSMEs in Nigeria,  especially among women and youths, and accelerate the profitable expansion of existing MSMEs along the value chain.
The Director-General Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry,  Ms Victoria Akai, also  called  on  stakeholders and representatives of MDAs to take the responsibility seriously and  ensure  successful implementation of the policy.