Abuja- Stakeholders at a two-day meeting have called on the Federal Government to establish Women in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises sector for easy access to government intervention fund.
This is contained in a communiqué signed by Mrs Rose Gyar, Acting Director-General of Global Centre for Human Empowerment and Entrepreneurship Development (GLOCHEED), an NGO in Abuja, on Wednesday.
It stated that the meeting was between the Federal Government regulatory agencies and Women in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (WIMSME) organised by GLOCHEED.
It added that the meeting was also in collaboration with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC).
The communiqué stated that the theme was “Towards achieving competitiveness in products, systems and processes among women in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises for Sustainable job creation through economic Ddversification’’.
It stated that the forum resolved that GLOCHEED should liaise with the Ministry of Women Affairs to facilitate access to the 60 per cent of the N220 billion MSME development fund dedicated for women in the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The communiqué stated that membership of the forum should be group affiliation, to facilitate access to finance and other interventions for easy coordination and monitoring and evaluation.
It added that GLOCHEED should follow up information on the availability of raw materials across the states and their investment potentials.
Other follow ups, it stated were information on patent right through sensitisation and awareness creation and sensitisation on exportable fresh produce and facilitating access to equipment, inputs and agricultural processing machinery.
It stated that government and other stakeholders should create micro credit fund for women in collaboration with Ministry of Women Affairs and Women focused NGOs.
According to it, the Ministry of Women Affairs should also create ways to build capacity of women for effective business management in collaboration with SMEDAN and other stakeholders.