December 12, (THEWILL) – The Ogun State Government has said it will partnering with the Federal Government on the creation of Shared Service Facility for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises to improve their productivity and efficiency through better access to technology.
The SSF project is a flagship project of the Department of Trade and Industry aimed at improving MSME competitiveness by providing machinery, equipment, tools, systems, accessories and other auxiliary items, skills and knowledge.
While declaring open the second edition of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Business Clinic held at Ake Hall in Abeokuta, Governor Dapo Abiodun said the provision of the SSF project would ease their business burden and strengthen their productivity
Abiodun, who was represented by the Commissioner For Finance and the Chief Economic Adviser, Dapo Okubadejo, said that apart from the SSF project, the state government was also helping them to have access to finance, market linkages, provision of MSMEs Park and the creation of electronic market place.
The governor noted that with the opening of the clinic his administration would be assuming 10,000 entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses and also collaborate with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) to export their products, in accordance with established standards
Abiodun, who mentioned other areas, including Ijebu, Sagamu/Ogijo, Isheri/Akute and the Ado-Odo/Ota, where the business clinic is scheduled to hold, stressed that that state was also working with the Bank of Industry to do counterpart matching fund scheme to the MSMEs.
He said, “The State government is relating with the Federal Government for the provision of MSMEs Shared Services Centre, to enable entrepreneurs share facilities. We are not going to allow any large company to come and the reason for this is to provide shared facilities like power.”
“For the first time in the history of this state and the country as a whole, we are creating a MSMEs park that is strictly dedicated to MSMEs alone, the biggest challenge of MSMEs in Nigeria in addition to financing, access to market is lack of infrastructure.
“The average cost of production is higher than it should be. By providing the park and putting this infrastructure in place there, we are going to help them reduce them reduce their cost of production and make them more competitive.
“We are also working with BOI as well as to do counterpart matching fund scheme so that we can extend credit to this people at low cost and with less condition” he added
Earlier, the Commissioner for Industry, Trade and Investment, Mrs. Kikelomo Longe had stated that the clinic would help entrepreneurs to start and scale-up their businesses, adding that the participants involved would specialise in areas, such as Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Agro-Processing, Non-Metallic and Basic Minerals, Fashion/Textile and Beauty Care would benefit from the Clinic.
‘’The government is creating several economic development clusters in strategic areas in Abeokuta, Remo, Ijebu, Atan-Agbara-Ota, Magboro and Imeko-Afon/Ayetoro. I want to call on entrepreneurs to take advantage of this free business premises registration window given by the present administration to register via https://businesspermit.ogunstate.gov.ng,” she said.
