The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDAN) on Thursday in Abuja, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ITScope Consulting Limited to launch the i-MSME portal.
The Director General of SMEDAN, Dr Dikko Radda, said that the i-SMSE portal would foster economic growth and development of all MSMEs in Nigeria when set up.
He urged Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to leverage on the portal to grow their businesses.
Describing the i-MSME portal as a real time integrated ICT platform, Radda noted that it wouldprovide a digital solution to most of the problems faced by MSME in Nigeria.
“There are lots of things that are put in place today to ensure that the MSME can use a digital platform to enhance their businesses and add value to their productions.
“For you to grow your business, you need a bit of competition and this will provide a platform to enable MSMEs compete globally.
“We are seeing a lot of improvements on the use of technology.
“Since Covid-19 started, a lot of MSMEs have embraced the use of technology in the sale of their products, purchase of their equipment and in getting customers and this has helped in the growth and development of MSMEs.
“With this platform in place, i think we will have the end to end progress in the use of technology and digital economy.
Radda added that the portal would aid the ongoing mass registration of MSMEs in the country by SMEDAN.
“SMEDAN is doing a mass registeration exercise for the last three years and we will continue on the platform.
“The essence of the mass registration is to get the MSMEs have the details of where they operate, what kind of services they render what they produce and what location they are.
“This is so that we can have and source for data and anybody who requires data on any of those MSMEs can get it,’’ he said.
Radda expressed the agency’s commitment to strengthen efforts to sensitise the stakeholders to key into the programme.
“We will go a long way in helping the MSMEs to embrace the program.
“Registering under SMEDAN is not a difficult thin; anybody can go online to and register and produce his product and print his certificate free of charge.
“There is no difficulty in registering with SMEDAN but with or without registration with SMEDAN you can directly use this portal as long as you key into the portal.
“It will give a ground for you register on SMEDAN,’’ Radda said.
Earlier, Mr Ajibola Edwards, Executive Director, ITScope Consulting Limited, said that the partnership proposed to create the first MSME socio-economic digital solutions ecosystem in Nigeria and Africa.
According to him, it will set-off a holistic multiplier effect for Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth and drive the engine of the informal sector of Nigeria.
“The direct connection between SMEDAN’s programmes, ITScope Consulting and the i-MSME, will allow MSMEs to quickly access funds and address other challenges encountered by the sector.
“This includes real time access to local and regional markets, logistics issues, accounting and tax issues as well as reducing high cost doing business among others.
He added that with the use of a smartphone, MSMEs can have access to six major core modules.
“They are InterAd-a market enhancement SME onboarding and client acquisition tool. MyQ-MSME monitoring and inventory management and iChatbot-FG/SMEDAN demonstration of active involvement.
“Others are i-MSME E-Wallet-dedicated to MSME ecosystem users on the portal for financial transactions and i-MSME Concierge- linking MSMEs to internal and external sources of affordable finance and service providers in areas of CAC registration,’’ he said
He assured of the deployment of i-MSME starting version 1.0, noting that the portal will go live within the next few weeks from the signing ceremony.
