By Moses Uwagbale
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Chief Niyi Adebayo, has assured the Organised Private Sector of Nigeria (OPSN) of the government’s support to its efforts to reboot the economy in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr Ayoola Olukanni, Director-General, Nigerian Association of Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), said in a statement on Sunday that the minister gave the assurance at a private meeting with the OPSN.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that members of the OPSN at the meeting were the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) and Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA).
Others were the Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME) and Nigerian Association of Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI).
Adebayo said that his ministry would support and work closely with the private sector as government works to reboot the economy in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The minister reaffirmed the role private sector had to play in the bid to restart the economy of the nation.
He said that series of stimulus packages would be made available soon to assist operators and operations in the private sector.
“These include a N50 billion survival funds for MSME; and a N15 billion Guaranteed Uptake Scheme to save 500,000 jobs,” Adebayo said.
He also revealed that under some of these interventions, 40 per cent of the funds was reserved for women-owned businesses.
Also, Olukanni said the meeting discussed and agreed that the implementation of project and programmes under the Economy Sustainability Plan recently approved by National Executive Council would be in close cooperation with members of OPSN.
