SMEDAN Trains 90 Entrepreneurs In Fashion Design 

The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has begun the training of 90 entrepreneurs on fashion designing in Kaduna State under its National Business Skills Development Initiative (NBSDI).
Director-General of the agency, Mr Olawale Fasanya, said this at the inauguration of the training exercise on Monday in Kaduna.
He said the trainees would also be exposed to welding and fabrication, adding that the programme would increase artisanal businesses among the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
NBSDI’s  State Coordinator,  Mr Haruna Shuaibu,  who  represented Fasanya, said that globally, emphasis had shifted from paid employment to skills acquisition.
He said the programme sought to develop and increase the skills of the participants in fashion designing, welding and fabrication for self sustainability.
Shuaibu said the choice of fashion designing, welding and fabrication was due to its high demand in the society.
“When people are not employed or engaged in legal activities that would earn them a living, it is natural they resort to crime and illegalities for sustainability.’’
(CGS), for micro enterprises in Nigeria.
“This programme is aimed at formalising a majority of the micro enterprises that are mostly operating in the informal sector.

“The programme, which involves capacity building, registration of the micro enterprises with the CAC, provision of micro insurance, opening of bank accounts and provision of N50,000 grant each has so far been implemented in 22 states where over 40,000 entrepreneurs have been impacted,” he said.

Also speaking, Prof. Kabir Mato, the state Comissioner for Business Innovation and Technology, said the state goverment had adopted sound programmes to cater for the needs of the MSMEs, especially through provision of skills to boost their businesses.

one of the beneficiaries,  Mr Ibrahim Ismail, lauded the gesture, adding that the training would broaden their knowledge and skills.

He pledged to ensure effective utilisation of the equipment which would be given to them at the end of the exercise to expand his business.

By: Lilian Peters