‘Engage Only Licensed BDSPs’ – SMEDAN DG Urges Stakeholders,

The Director General of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Charles Odii, has called upon business stakeholders, including banks and development partners, to exclusively collaborate with Business Development Service Providers (BDSPs) who have received proper licensing from the agency.

This measure is aimed at ensuring uniformity in the technical output delivery within Nigeria’s MSMEs ecosystem.

Odii conveyed this message during his welcome address at a ceremony held in Lagos on Wednesday, where licenses were awarded to the third batch of qualified BDSPs.

This marked the first official duty of the newly-appointed Director General, who expressed his satisfaction with the establishment of a credible licensing framework.

The framework is designed to assess the technical competence of both existing and potential BDSPs, with the primary objective of enhancing their support to MSMEs in Nigeria.

The Director General emphasized that the licensing initiative is a significant part of SMEDAN’s broader efforts to promote professionalism within the BDS ecosystem.

He extended his gratitude to all stakeholders who contributed to the initiative’s success from its inception, including the Chairman and members of the National Steering Committee (NSC), Kaduna Business School, the Enterprise Development Centre, Pan Atlantic University, and the dedicated support staff of the agency.

Odii went on to outline several impactful interventions and initiatives by the agency aimed at addressing challenges faced by MSMEs in Nigeria.

These include the One Local Government One Product (OLOP) program, implemented in 109 senatorial districts across the country, which provides access to workspace, equipment support, working capital, and capacity building.

Another initiative is the Conditional Grant Scheme (CGS), through which over 60,000 micro-enterprises were trained, registered, and provided grants of N50,000 each.

Odii also highlighted the National Business Skills Development Initiative (NBSDI), which trained over 13,000 entrepreneurs, the ongoing MSMEs Mass Registration Project (MMRP) designed to establish a database of MSMEs in the country for evidence-based planning, and the review of the National Policy on MSMEs to foster accelerated growth.

He concluded by urging all stakeholders to maintain their support for the MSMEs sub-sector, emphasizing its crucial role in achieving national objectives such as job creation, wealth generation, and poverty alleviation.