SMEDAN empowers 80 entrepreneurs in Anambra

The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has empowered over 80 young entrepreneurs in Anambra State.

The programme was executed through the business intervention fund.

The beneficiaries, who were selected for the pilot project were presented with the sum of N40,000 each and a certificate of participation.

Speaking during the flagging off exercise in Awka yesterday, the Director-General of SMEDAN, Dr. Dikko Umaru Radda, said the exercise was targeted at ameliorating the difficulties faced by young business owners in retaining and sustaining their workspaces due to the prevailing environment.

He noted that the disbursement exercise was the third phase and conclusion of the Young Business Owners in Nigeria (YBON) development programme in the affected states.

Radda, who was represented by the Deputy Director (Policy, Advocacy and Coordination), Ms Chibuzor Osuoha, said the first phase of the programme was a sensitization exercise while the second phase was entrepreneurship training for the 40 selected participants.

“The training would sharpen the business management skills of the beneficiaries which would, in turn, increase their performance while the payment for workspaces would reduce their financial burden and harsh economic free some funds for daily operations,” Radda said.

He noted that the financial support came after the agency ended the enterprise management training in December 2017.

He also said the target beneficiaries of the programme are young people between the ages of 20-45 years. The goal is to create new opportunities for enterprise growth for start-ups and for employment.

“Selection criteria for beneficiaries include: technical capacities of the promoters, available raw materials, markets, available skills, access to appropriate technologies, among others,” he said.

The beneficiaries expressed delight for the support from SMEDAN and called for increased financial and technical interventions.