The German Agency for International Corporation (GIZ)-SEDIN is collaborating with the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) to build resilient Micro Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs).
The Executive Secretary of LSETF, Mrs Teju Abisoye, said the collaboration entailed evolving strategies and structures that could help build sustainable businesses in different states.
Abisoye made the remarks at a two-day Learning visit/peer learning Event for MSMEs Support and Microfinance Agencies in SEDIN partner states held on Tuesday in Lagos.
She said: “We are not just doing this in the name of making our governments look good. If we lay the right structures and we build businesses we will be affecting lives and creating jobs, we will be reducing insecurity, poverty.
“We will also be giving the people the opportunity to send their children to school,” she said.
She also added that the GIZ-SEDIN programme and the LSETF partnership would strengthen the capacity of partner States’ MSMEs and microfinance agencies for effective service delivery and better impact on jobs.
Mr Akin Omoware, Head of policy and Strategy Unit, GIZ-SEDIN, while giving an overview of GIZ-SEDIN’s programmes in Nigeria, said SEDIN was working with MSME support and microfinance agencies in partner states.
Omoware said this would enhance general MSMEs support and increase the access to finance for MSMEs.
He stressed that the support also included the institutional strengthening of these agencies for effective service delivery and better impact on job creation.
Omoware said the object of the workshop was to provide an opportunity for exchange and peer learning among the partner states’ MSMEs and microfinance agencies.
This, he said, would deepen the knowledge and capacity on innovative approaches for delivering MSME support and microfinance service to MSMEs especially in the COVID-19 era.
Other objectives, according to him, includes increasing the orientation of the MSME and microfinance agencies on the core expectation of their mandate in line with global best practices and particularly the expected impact of their mandate on MSME growth and job creation.
He said the overall objective of the SEDIN programme was to improve the employment and income of MSMEs.
“In addition, the programme is facilitating local economic development, strengthening selected value chains, fostering economic literacy and entrepreneurship competence for start-ups and existing businesses.
“The specific needs of women are considered in all fields of action. The target groups of SEDIN are the owners and employees of MSMEs and members of other economically active low-income households,” he said.
Omoware also said to achieve the overall objective, SEDIN was working with private and public institutions to improve the framework conditions, business enabling environment, and policies favouring MSMEs, employment and local economic development.
