By SundiataPOST, Abuja The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) on Monday in Abuja called on Nigerians to patronise made-in-Aba products.
The SMEDAN Director-General, Alhaji Bature Masari, made the call at Made-in-Aba Trade Fair organised by Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe as part of his constituency project.
“The typical Nigerian entrepreneur, as exemplified by the Aba entrepreneur is innovative, resilient and dogged. He needs very little push to achieve greatness for the good of Nigerians,” Masari said.
Masari said SMEDAN was identifying with the fair as part of its efforts to encourage the Nigerian entrepreneur.
He said the fair provided a platform for indigenous manufactures to attract both local and foreign patronage for their products.
The director-general commended Abaribe, representing Abia South Senatorial District, for providing Aba manufacturers the opportunity to showcase their creativity.
He said the event would encourage economic development in Abia and Nigeria as manufacturers would be exposed to various opportunities.
The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, he said, had initiated the National Enterprise Development Programme (NEDEP) to assist manufacturers with loans.
According to him, this programme aims to generate five million direct and indirect jobs in the country.
Masari said the agency would create jobs in all the 774 local governments nationwide, stressing that NEDEP had conducted sensitisation and needs assessment in 22 out of the 36 states.
He added that six baseline surveys had been done in Lagos, Bayelsa, Anambra, Kano, Benue and Bauch.
He said about 1000 cooperative groups and their business plans were currently being referred to Bank of Industry for appraisal and funding.
Abaribe said the fair was part of his constituency project to bring their products to the national stage.
He urged Nigerians to patronise made in Nigeria products, saying that it was not true that locally made product were always inferior to imported ones.
