The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has sought the partnership of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to promote locally made products, develop youth skills and create entrepreneurship opportunities across the country.
The Director-General of SMEDAN, Charles Odii, made the request in Abuja on Wednesday when he led a delegation of the agency on a courtesy visit to the EFCC Executive Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, at the commission’s corporate headquarters.
Odii commended Olukoyede for what he described as efforts to restore 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 boss said the agency was implementing programmes aimed at equipping young Nigerians with practical skills and preparing them for entrepreneurship.
He disclosed that the agency had secured approval from the Ministry of Education to establish the Inspire, Create, Start, and Scale (ICSS) Institute, which would offer National Diploma programmes while integrating entrepreneurship into the training.
According to him, the initiative was designed to ensure that young Nigerians acquire the skills needed to become sustainable business owners and contribute to the country’s economy.
Odii also disclosed that SMEDAN was working on a national Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises policy which would guide the sector for five years.
He said the proposed policy would include measures to rehabilitate and reintegrate former inmates who had shown remorse but lacked the skills needed to earn a living after their release.
“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.
“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. And so in our policy, we’re putting in that if these people are wrong, apologetic, they’ve learned their skills, we should be able to rehabilitate them to society.”
The SMEDAN director-general further proposed collaboration with the EFCC’s Cybersecurity Research and Training Centre, saying the agency could provide relevant curriculum and technical support.
“I also know that you have started the Cybersecurity Research Center. We want to introduce this curriculum to you, so that our curriculum can be embedded into the research center,” he said.
He also requested joint programmes to rehabilitate inmates and young people involved in cybercrime through skills acquisition, entrepreneurship and other initiatives that could support their reintegration into society.
Responding, Olukoyede welcomed the proposals and expressed the EFCC’s readiness to collaborate with SMEDAN on promoting Nigerian-made products, youth empowerment, skills development and cybercrime prevention.
“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,” he said.
The EFCC chairman said the development of legitimate skills and economic opportunities was essential to addressing youth involvement in 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.
Olukoyede urged Nigerians, including members of the EFCC community, to patronise locally produced goods to encourage small businesses and strengthen the domestic economy.
“Congrats for pushing all these. So, those of you buying things in my office, henceforth, patronize this. We need to support them, you know. Support these young people. It is when these businesses grow that’s when we can grow our own nation, too,” he said.
He also called for a national policy on Nigerian-made goods to promote local production and economic growth.
Speaking on cybercrime, Olukoyede warned that the activities of cybercriminals had damaging consequences for 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.
The EFCC chairman disclosed that the Cybersecurity Research and Training Centre was expected to train an average of 500 participants at a time, adding that the project had received government support.
“That was what necessitated our, you know, putting in place the Cyber Security Research and Training Center, which we’re expecting to train an average of 500, you know, intakes per time,” he said.
He invited SMEDAN to participate in the project from its planning stage through to its operationalisation.
“So, I want to bring you on board so that you can be part of that project from the conception to operationalization because the nature of your mandate requires that we bring you into it,” Olukoyede said.
He also pledged support for the ICSS Institute and other SMEDAN initiatives aimed at developing young Nigerians.
“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,” he said.
During the visit, the SMEDAN delegation presented a range of locally produced goods, including hibiscus tea, coffee, wax candles, cassava biscuits and native fabric.
The products were made 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 develop 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.
