SMEDAN Seeks EFCC Support to Promote Made-in-Nigeria Products
The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has sought the support of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in promoting made-in-Nigeria products and expanding opportunities for young Nigerians through skills development and entrepreneurship.
The Chief Executive Officer and Director-General of SMEDAN, Charles Odii, made the request in Abuja on Wednesday when he led a delegation from the agency on a courtesy visit to the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, at the Commission’s corporate headquarters.
Odii commended Olukoyede for his efforts at rebuilding confidence in Nigeria, particularly in the international community.
“Executive Chairman, I want to thank you. I want to start with gratitude. I want to thank you for the work that you have done in the last 34 months. You have tried to change the face of Nigeria outside Nigeria. So, with that, I want to thank you, and thank you for instituting confidence and trust again in Nigeria,” he said.
The SMEDAN Director-General said the agency was implementing initiatives aimed at equipping young Nigerians with practical skills and transforming them into entrepreneurs.
He disclosed that SMEDAN had secured approval from the Ministry of Education to establish the Inspire, Create, Start and Scale (ICSS) Institute, which would offer National Diploma programmes to young people while integrating entrepreneurship into their training.
According to him, the initiative is designed to ensure that relevant stakeholders work together to produce sustainable entrepreneurs who can contribute meaningfully to Nigeria’s economy.
Odii also highlighted SMEDAN’s skills-acquisition programmes for inmates nearing the end of their prison sentences, describing the initiative as life-changing.
“When we go into prisons, people that have six months to be released into society, we train them, and we give them skills. This project has been life-changing,” he said.
He added that SMEDAN was finalising a new national MSME policy covering the sector’s development over a five-year period.
According to Odii, the proposed policy would also encourage businesses to employ rehabilitated ex-inmates who have acquired relevant skills and demonstrated willingness to reintegrate into society.
“We have put in that policy that anyone who has gone to prison, who is apologetic, and lacks skills, small businesses in Nigeria should employ them,” he said.
Odii further proposed collaboration between SMEDAN and the EFCC’s Cybersecurity Research and Training Centre, saying the agency was ready to provide relevant curriculum and technical expertise.
“I also know that you have started the Cybersecurity Research Centre. We want to introduce this curriculum to you, so that our curriculum can be embedded into the research centre,” he said.
He also sought collaboration with the EFCC on the rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates and young people involved in cybercrime through skills acquisition and entrepreneurship programmes.
Responding, Olukoyede welcomed the proposal and expressed the EFCC’s readiness to collaborate with SMEDAN in promoting locally made products, empowering young people, developing skills and preventing cybercrime.
“I have been following your activities. And I’m very proud of you. You are one of the young men that we look up to,” the EFCC chairman said.
Olukoyede said the development of legitimate skills and economic opportunities for young people was critical to addressing the factors contributing to cybercrime.
“I’m interested in anything that will help to develop skills for young men. Because that is one of the challenges I have,” he said.
He commended SMEDAN’s initiative and urged Nigerians, including members of the EFCC community, to patronise locally produced goods.
“Those of you buying things in my office, henceforth, patronise this. We need to support them. Support these young people. It is when these businesses grow that we can grow our own nation, too, and develop our own system,” he said.
The EFCC chairman also suggested the formulation of a national policy on Nigeria-made goods to encourage local production and stimulate economic growth.
Olukoyede stressed the seriousness of cybercrime and its impact on Nigeria’s economy and international reputation.
“The evil these guys are doing to the image of Nigeria, to our economy is unquantifiable. Some of these guys, at the press of a button, they can bring the entire financial ecosystem down,” he said.
He disclosed that the EFCC’s Cybersecurity Research and Training Centre was expected to train an average of 500 participants at a time, noting that the government was supporting the project.
“That was what necessitated our putting in place the Cybersecurity Research and Training Centre, which we’re expecting to train an average of 500 intakes per time,” he said.
Olukoyede invited SMEDAN to participate in the project from its conception through to its operationalisation, noting that the agency’s mandate made its involvement relevant.
“So, I want to bring you on board so that you can be part of that project from the conception to operationalisation because the nature of your mandate requires that we bring you into it,” he said.
He also pledged the EFCC’s support for SMEDAN’s ICSS initiative and other programmes focused on youth development.
“So, I’m with you. We’re going to support you. Your ICSS project, too. Let me know if there’s any area where we can support you,” Olukoyede said.
A major highlight of the visit was the presentation of locally produced goods by the SMEDAN delegation. The products included hibiscus tea, coffee, wax candles, cassava biscuits and native fabric produced under the agency’s Guidance, Resources, Opportunity and Workforce (G-R-O-W) support initiative.
Olukoyede said the EFCC would work with relevant institutions to identify practical solutions to youth involvement in crime.
“So, let us look for practical solutions that will take these young people out of that menace. Let’s compare notes. Let’s put this together to help Mr. President to succeed in his venture,” he said.
