By Nosa Akenzua, Asaba
Mr Charles Odii, Director-General, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), on Thursday, inaugurated the Federal Government’s N50 billion grant for small businesses in Delta.
Odii, who spoke in an interview with newsmen in Asaba, urged the state government to partner with SMEDAN to grow small businesses in the state.
He said that President Bola Tinubu has earmarked the sum of N50 billion to give to at least one million NANO businesses across the country, adding that each beneficiary would receive N50,000 each.
He said that federal government’s decision to inject N50 billion into the small businesses while introducing them to alternative sources of income and building their capacity was to enable them unlock access to more funds and build wealth.
He said, “I am in Asaba to speak to small business owner across the nine LGAs of Delta North Senatorial Districts and to support them through training and to give them grants to start and grow their businesses.
“The NANO businesses of SMEDAN are those businesses that have at least three employees with a turnover of less then three million naira.
“Poverty does not know political party, sex, or age, a hungry man is an angry man.yes
” There is a triangle that I like to say, hunger lead to anger and anger leads to violence. This is the reason why we have a lot of youths unrest.
“One of the things we are doing as a long term solution is to help improve the capacity of our people while the short term solution is to give them grants as we are doing now.”
“My appeal to everyone government is not to weaponize poverty but let’s reach out to our young people and small businesses and grow them.”
While calling on the state government to partner the agency to develop the capacity of the small businesses in the country, he said, “when a small business grows, a family grows. You feed one small business owner, you have fed at least 10 people.
” SMEDAN can’t do this alone, we need the support of the state governments to grow the small businesses in the country.”
Odii said the beneficiaries were selected though a seamless process via a technology based system that was not bias but on merit.
He also said that the agency has so far covered 14 states, adding that it would cover all the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to empower small businesses in the country.
Some of the beneficiaries testified of receiving their N50,000 and had pledged to effectively utilise the money to grow their businesses.
