UNIDO Provides Free Training For 15,000 SMEs

The Regional Director, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), Mr Jean Bakole,  says the organisation has provided free training for 15,000 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria.
He said the support for the SMEs was part of UNIDO’s technical support and response which focused on industrial governance.
Noting that the training was aimed at supporting the SMEs on skill acquisition to formarlise their businesses and help them on master plan development, while also facilitating their access to credit, Bakole said the SMEs represented about 96 per cent of the businesses in the country.
He added that attention should be given to them since they are the foundation of industries.
According to him, the SMEs currently contribute 50 per cent of the GDP and have provided over 48 per cent of employment opportunities in the country.
“SMEs are important tools for industries and there is no way a country can move forward in the acceleration of industries without consolidating them.
“Nigeria has  many unemployed youths, and provision and support for SMEs will help in creating jobs, thereby reducing the number of unemployed youths in the country,” he said.
Bakole stressed the need to make changes and initiate strategies to improve the industrial sector.
“It is imperative also to improve on data on SMEs, as they are here to provide services for big scale industry, constituting very good platform to create more jobs in the society.
“SMEs represent 96 per cent of the businesses in the country. We should, therefore, not neglect their   importance in the area of job creation and contributions to the nation’s economic growth,” he said.