Doyin Olawaiye, Head of Component, Economic Education and Entrepreneurship (GIZ-SEDIN), has stated that the GIZ’s Pro-Poor Growth and Promotion of Employment in Nigeria Programme -SEDIN aims to improve the employment and income of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
Olawaiye made the announcement during a day-long Entrepreneur and MSMEs marketplace exhibition with the theme: Leveraging local markets for international reach that was held in Plateau State and put on by GOPA Worldwide Consultant with funding from the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, BMZ; Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, GIZ GmbH.
She mentioned that MSMEs’ owners, employees, and members of other economically active low-income households are SEDIN’s target demographics.
According to her, the Programme is working at the federal, state, and local level and is currently working in nine focal states, namely Kano, Kaduna, Plateau, Ogun, Oyo, Lagos, Niger, Edo, and Abia.
“GIZ-SEDIN is improving MSMEs by providing technical support which goes beyond training, we also provide opportunities and platforms for integration into the entrepreneurial ecosystem, linkages to business support, and opportunities to pitch to potential partners and investors.
“One major way to provide such a platform is an MSME exhibition, an exhibition with opportunities for MSMEs and partner organizations to leverage on. This exhibition is targeted at solidifying the market and financial linkages that have been established over time during the project. This exhibition also aims to promote partner organizations’ credibility, recognition, and relevance in the State.”
Further highlighting the expected outcomes, the Head of Component for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship (GIZ-SEDIN) stated that they include “getting MSMEs to access market opportunities, providing linkage opportunities for MSMEs and partner organizations, and providing a platform for actors to identify potential MSMEs they could take up.”
Adamu Bala, a key development expert who also spoke, emphasized that the main goals of the event were to actively and purposefully bridge the gap between stakeholders in the MSMEs ecosystem, project the results of the project’s activities to local and international partners, and create a platform for linkages and networking among MSMEs, partner organizations, and ecosystem actors.
In his address, the State Governor, Simon Lalong who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Profesor Danladi Atu in a remark commended GIZ for assisting the government to empower the citizens and pledged continued support.