The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has opened discussions with Local Government Chairmen from Delta State on a strategic partnership aimed at accelerating rural industrialisation, expanding MSME opportunities and creating sustainable jobs across communities in the state.
The engagement, held at the SMEDAN headquarters in Abuja, brought together the agency’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Charles Odii, and the Delta State delegation led by the Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Hon. Isaiah Onoriode Esiovwa.
At the meeting, both sides explored ways of deploying local government structures to bring enterprise development programmes closer to rural communities, stimulate local economies and unlock the productive potential of micro, small and medium-scale businesses.
Odii stressed that local governments have a critical role to play in translating national economic initiatives into tangible opportunities for people at the grassroots.
According to him, stronger collaboration between SMEDAN and local government authorities would help ensure that MSMEs in communities are better positioned to access enterprise development opportunities, while also supporting the creation of sustainable employment.
He reiterated SMEDAN’s commitment to partnerships capable of empowering entrepreneurs and strengthening local economies, noting that the agency’s interventions are aligned with the Renewed Hope agenda of expanding opportunities for Nigerians.
Odii particularly emphasised the vision of creating an economy where “a son of a nobody can become somebody,” stressing that such opportunities must reach communities beyond major urban centres.
The engagement is coming against the backdrop of growing emphasis on MSMEs as drivers of employment, local production and inclusive economic growth.
The Delta delegation also undertook a guided tour of SMEDAN’s facilities, where members were taken through the agency’s operational and innovation hubs established to support entrepreneurs and MSMEs.
The tour provided the local government leaders with an insight into SMEDAN’s programmes, facilities and approaches to enterprise development, with discussions expected to provide a basis for stronger grassroots collaboration across Delta State.
The meeting ended with a vote of thanks in which the delegation expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what participants described as his administration’s efforts to create an enabling environment for small businesses and sustain economic growth amid global inflationary pressures.
The engagement further underscored the growing importance of collaboration between federal agencies and local governments in taking enterprise development initiatives to the grassroots and expanding economic opportunities for Nigerians.
