The Nigerian Association of Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI) has urged the Federal Government to sign the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (SMEDAN) bill to enable it operate more effectively.
Chief Solomon Vongfa, NASSI National President made the call on Friday in Abuja.
Vongfa said that signing the SMEDAN bill would boost the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the country and project it for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement.
“The Nigerian membership to the AfCFTA agreement is a major challenge for Nigeria MSMEs because this sector is responsible to drive the nation’s economy through local content and innovation.
“This can only be achieved if we are prepared to compete with the international market otherwise we may lose out of AfCFTA.
“Finance and grant should be made available to the MSMEs in trillions for it to effectively reach the large numbers of MSMEs nationwide.
“Media advocacy and training is highly required as the MSMEs need to frequently inform its members and the public on current development in the sector and market demand.
“There is need to create MSMEs clusters across the nation, which will go a long way in promoting local content and wealth in Nigeria,’’ he said.
