The Small and Medium Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has identified lack of access to local, regional and global markets as one of major challenges militating against optimal performance of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the country.
The Director General, SMEDAN, Dr Dikko Radda, stated this at the match-making session between MSMEs and large enterprises under the MSMEs Market Linkage Initiative held in Kano on Thursday.
Radda, who was represented by Mr Monday Ewans, said that as part of effort to address the challenge in a holistic manner, the agency had developed a programme tagged ‘the MSMEs market linkage initiative’, aimed at facilitating market access for MSMEs by keying them into value chain of large organisations.
“This will bridge the gap and enable local content development and participation in various sectors of the economy.
“The initiative is designed such that by creating market access for active Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises operating in Nigeria, they are able to contribute to economic growth and development, through increased output and income,” he said.
According to him, the initiative would also bridge the gap between large enterprises and MSMEs, while fostering networking and partnership opportunities.
“Participating MSMEs will, therefore, need to compete for patronage from large enterprises through quality products and effective service delivery; thereby increasing efficiency of operations and cost competitiveness,” he said.
Radda said in order to facilitate the seamless implementation, the initiative targeted made-in-Nigeria goods produced by MSMEs by creating strong marketing and off-taker arrangements with large enterprises.
“The event today seeks to present a platform for the profiled MSMEs to have the opportunity to meet with targetted large enterprises for the purpose of creating off-taker arrangements between them,” he said.
The SMEDAN Director General said the agency would continue to support and work with MSMEs so as to achieve the MSMEs sub-sector in the country in the area of promoting job creation, wealth creation, poverty alleviation and sustained contribution to the economic growth and development.
In her remarks, the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) Ms Yewande Sadiku, said the collaboration between the two organisations would encourage and promote producers of industrial inputs that could be used as industrial raw materials for large companies.
Sadiku, who was represented by Mr Manzo Ahmad, said the meeting would also create market access for credible MSMEs by keying them into the value chain of large organisations.
The meeting was attended by various stakeholders, including representatives of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), National Association of Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI) and African Women Entrepreneurship Programme (AWEP) among others.
