1st Abuja SMEs conference, expo will build capacity for AfCFTA

Abuja is to host its Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Conference and Exhibition that is designed to build the capacity of SMEs for African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The conference is being facilitated by the Policy Advocacy Centre (PAC) of Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI).
The conference, scheduled to hold from August 16 to August 17, 2021 is being supported by several stakeholders and coordinated by the PAC, ACCI under the patronship of the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment and the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria.
A statement by Olayemi John-Mensah, Media/Strategy Officer of ACCI on Friday sated that the conference and exhibitions would address internal hindrances working against SMEs existence in Nigeria.
John-Mensah said that the event would fast-tracked implementation of the new National MSMEs Policy, proposal for legal framework to harmonise SMEs taxation, regulatory permits and ease of access to governmental incentives to the SMEs.
“The conference will also focus on creating a statutory annual platform for bringing together stakeholders and operators in the field of Small and Medium Enterprises to address the challenges of the sector.
“Nigerian government has introduced so many programmes and policies but the SMEs sector is still facing problems of access to funding, multiple taxation and lack of access to government incentives,” she said.
According to a statement from the organisers, the conference is built as a statutory annual meeting point to analyse and proffer solutions to those problems while it offers platform for stakeholders in both government and non-governmental level to grow and empower SMEs operators.
CBN’s Governor, Godwin Emefiele, will deliver a keynote address on several efforts of the apex Bank to energise the economy and particularly the SMEs sector.
As at today, the CBN has over 25 interventions targeted at growing the economy.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo will be speaking on many initiatives of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to grow the SMEs sector.
Other keynote speakers include the Executive Director, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) Olusegun Awolowo whose Agency has been implementing successful interventions to groom the SMEs for the export market within the context of AfCFTA.
Also, to speak is the Managing Director of Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA), Prof. Adesoji Adesugba on how the Agency has been deploying backward integration to grow the SMEs sector through the free zones enterprises.
To Chair the event is the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo who has been supervising the Presidential initiatives on the MSMEs sector.