The Federal Government said it is targeting 1.3 million Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) interventions across 17 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to improve the economy and create more jobs.
This is contained in a statement from the spokesperson from the office of Vice President Kashim Shettima, Olusola Abiola, on Tuesday.
Abiola said the MSME and job creation unit is coordinating the interventions geared towards ensuring the realisation of the President Bola Tinubu administration’s commitment to job creation and economic diversification, with the MSMEs playing critical roles.
He stated that the interventions that are to be completed in 17 States and the FCT are shared centres for MSMEs, providing four markets with 300 kva solar panels and mini-grids to provide 8 hours of electricity a day to 6 Fashion Hubs and 2 Furniture Clusters.
The 17 states set to benefit from these interventions include Abia, Rivers, Jigawa, Benue, Borno, Lagos, Ekiti, Niger, Sokoto, Enugu, Gombe, Akwa Ibom, Yobe, Ondo, Osun, Bayelsa, Imo, and the FCT.
The vice president’s spokesperson also disclosed that other interventions are for car painting and drying hubs and cold rooms for seafood storage, among others.
Abiola added that following Shettima’s directives on the speedy execution of the projects, five of the interventions will be completed and delivered by December 2023 and 12 other interventions are scheduled for completion before December 2024.
MSME partners collaborating with the Office of the Vice President to execute these interventions include the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control, (NAFDAC), the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), and the Bank of Industry (BOI).
Others include the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN), the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), the Bank of Agriculture (BOA), the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), the Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), among others.
