Enugu SME Centre, Actualizing Gov Ugwuanyi’s Socio-Economic Agenda

At the onset, Gov Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi did not mince words that his primary purpose of seeking political office in 2015 was to develop Enugu State. The governor also stated upfront what he intended to do with government resources and services. On oath on May 29, 2015, he swore to make government resources and services available to create a level playing field for anyone who is willing to make a living, create wealth, send their children to school, and live in a secure environment.

Over the past four years, the governor has walked his talk. His administration has consistently met all critical counterpart funding obligations, takes security of lives and property seriously, encourages Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government to honour agreements and to operate optimally. Above all, compliance and due process are not only made mandatory in all government transactions, they are the basis on which the governor’s approval may be sought and possibly obtained on any matter concerning use of resources and services.

The result has been surprising by all standards. Today in Enugu State, entrepreneurs, traders and artisans in rural and urban areas are full of praises for Governor Ugwuanyi’s political sagacity and financial acumen. While hundreds of old enterprises are expanding their operational capacities and market shares, startups of different categories are springing up in their numbers, resulting in thousands of direct and indirect jobs. Across the state, crimes have substantially declined and the hope of the common man is being rekindled following noticeable improvements in various sectors of the state economy. The aggregation of these efforts has already placed the state on the global limelight. 

The 2018 World Bank’s sub-national Ease of Doing Business ranks Enugu State second best for a place to start businesses in Nigeria, and the best in the Southeast. As a result, Enugu State was one of the five frontline states honoured by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council on April 3, 2019. The state’s Special Purpose Vehicle for SME intervention and development, Enugu SME Centre, is also rated one of the best in Nigeria and the most vibrant in the Southeast. With absolute support from Gov Ugwuanyi, and piloted by an astute and passionate technocrat, Mr Anayo Agu, and its pragmatic enterprise development managers, the Centre’s unprecedented scorecard since 2015 has distinguished Enugu State as one of the model states in Nigeria for micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) development.

Enugu SME Centre has so far trained over 36,500 entrepreneurs and business owners; funded over 2500 micro, small and medium enterprises under the CBN N220 billion MSME Fund and the state counterpart funding programme with Bank of Industry (BOI), as well as over 7000 micro entrepreneurs under the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP). It has also identified, prequalified, trained and recommended over 850 MSME owners for funding under the new CBN-Bankers’ Committee AG-SMEIS Programme launched in March 2018 to promote agric-entrepreneurship and SME development across Nigeria. Furthermore, the Centre collaborated with the Ministry of Health and the office of the Chief of Staff to the Governor to facilitate Enugu State government’s partnership with Olusegun Obasanjo Foundation (OOF) and Starkey Hearing Foundation USA to give the gift of hearing to over 1700 hearing-impaired persons in Enugu State and the donation of hearing aids valued over N1bn by Starkey Hearing Foundation USA from October 2017 to May 2019.

In April 2018, Enugu State government, through the Centre, and the offices of the Chief of Staff and the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Development Aids, partnered with the German Government through its development agency (GIZ) to introduce Financial Literacy and inclusion in Enugu State. This collaboration has resulted in the training of 420 teachers in the 36 science, vocational and technical schools in Enugu State, and the introduction of financial literacy in the curriculum for the Master Class on Entrepreneurship at Enugu SME Centre, giving birth to the training of over 1300 aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners. 

The Centre also collaborated with the U.S. Commercial Service at the US Mission in Nigeria to host Network USA (NUSA) for the Southeast, which enabled the participants to learn the requirements for exporting goods to the United States under the African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA).

To boost exportation of locally made goods, Enugu SME Centre in 2018 collaborated with the Nigeria Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), Nigeria Export Promotion Council and Multimix Academy, Lagos, to organize an Export-Import Finance Seminar for the Southeast zone and Delta. This initiative led to the export of some made-in-Enugu products to West and Central African markets.  Another significant milestone is the hosting of the 19th Edition of the National MSME Clinic (Enugu Edition) on October 2, 2018 which attracted over 4000 participants, including Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.  The event showcased the entrepreneurial skills of Ndi Enugu as they displayed their products to the world and to the admiration of both the Vice President and the state governor. 

As Governor Ugwuanyi begins his second term in office, the business community is certainly excited and anxiously expectant. He is expected to sustain and improve current development initiatives and to introduce new ones, especially in the areas of skills training and business incubation targeting the ever-present and growing danger of youth unemployment and restiveness. 

There is no doubt that Enugu SME Centre, against all odds, has set many unprecedented records distinguishing itself as a champion of entrepreneurship and enterprise development in Enugu State. In pursuit of its mandate, the Centre has also left no one in doubt that its chief mission during the period under review is the actualization of Governor Ugwuanyi’s social contract with Ndi Enugu which he captured in his four-point agenda.  It is left to be seen the trajectory the Centre will take as it consolidates past achievements and explores new frontiers in the next four years. 

Aroh wrote in from Ezimo, Udenu LGA

Disclaimer: This article is entirely the opinion of the writer and does not represent the views of The Whistler.