The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) on Saturday announced plans to train 100 entrepreneurs in Akwa Ibom in standard packaging processes.
Its Director General, Dr Dikko Radda, made the announcement at the opening ceremony of the 2020 Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Opportunity Fair in Uyo.
The theme of the fair is, “Harnessing Business Opportunities Beyond COVID-19 Drawbacks”
Radda, who was represented by Mr Wale Fasanya, SMEDAN’s Director of Planning, Research, Monitoring and Evaluation, said that at the end of the training, the beneficiaries would be able to make their products exportable because of proper packaging.
He said that the agency would also offer free digital academy training to MSMEs as post-COVID-19 support.
The SMEDAN boss said that the fair would enable the entrepreneurs to showcase, market their products and exchange business ideas.
Besides, Radda said that SMEDAN would create a market hub application to provide a platform for Nigerian entrepreneurs to interact with customers and suppliers of business inputs globally.
He said that the business app would be built to capture all businesses in the country, irrespective of the nature of the enterprise.
He added that it would also be a medium to foster great intersection between business and business as well as business and visitors to the app.
“It is a convergence point for Nigerians and business owners all over the world, who wish to establish links with potential customers,” he said.
In his remarks, the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Trade and Investment, Mr Ukpong Akpabio, thanked SMEDAN for providing upcoming entrepreneurs in the state with a platform to leverage and showcase their creativity to the public.
Ukpong said that the state government was very passionate about business development initiatives, adding that it would provide the enabling environment for MSMEs to thrive in the state.
An entrepreneur in the state, Mrs Gloria Udosen, lauded SMEDAN for providing her the opportunity to promote her business brand.
Udosen, however, appealed to the state government to provide financial support to small-scale entrepreneurs to enable them to expand their businesses.
Another entrepreneur, Mr Emen Evans, also thanked agency for its support to small-scale businesses.
Evans noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had adversely affected the growth of businesses in the country.
