by Kingsley Maduforo
Aba, the heartbeat of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria and a point of convergence for men and culture witnessed another uproar following the visit of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, the Acting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to launch the maiden edition of Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSME) clinic in Abia State.
Aba is easily reckoned as a local manufacturing and small & medium enterprises hub in Nigeria. The drive towards the diversification and improvement of the Nigerian economy must therefore start with concerted effort at supporting our local industries and manufacturers. Aba, the home of Made-in-Nigeria products must be given the ideal attention. Artisans in Aba must be encouraged to offer their best. Indeed, recent development reveals that Made-in-Aba products are of excellent quality and have what it takes to compete with other products manufactured elsewhere around the World.
The business community in Aba is no doubt facing a lot of challenges namely: the problem of how to access fund/loan, how to go about registering their business names, etc. A desire to alleviate these challenges prompted the Federal Government through the effort of the Abia State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu to bring all the concerned agencies together in Aba, the commercial nerve-centre of the State. The sole purpose of the clinic was to fashion ways of rendering assistance to our local manufacturers in the area of quality and standard improvement.
Diversifying the Nigerian economy through MSMEs has the potential of improving the economy, creation of job opportunities that would add significantly to the Nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and ultimately get the country out of recession.
The global decline in the price of crude oil and the consequent reduction in government revenue in an oil-based economy such as Nigeria’s prompted the Ikpeazu-led administration to seriously reform the state’s position into a competitive economy and a fertile ground for business investment. This was achieved through the conducive environment he created and the favourable economic policies beneficial to the business community in Abia State which he initiated right upon assumption of office. His creation of a regulated environment which enabled private enterprises, especially the Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, to function optimally has produced a large positive impact on our economy. The improvement in regulation of quality, standard and efficiency is particularly in the best interest of our state. Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has tried in improving the condition of operating a business venture in Abia State through the good policies he has so far initiated.
The visit of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo to Aba solidified the efforts of Gov. Ikpeazu towards improving the ease of doing business in the State, particularly Aba, the commercial hub and SMEs nerve-centre of Nigeria. The Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises potential of Aba, especially the leather and garment industries could not be neglected by the Federal Government of Nigeria owing to its economic importance and significance more so as it is striving to revive its recession-hit economy.
Ideally, the government has two major roles to play: one is to administer the existing institutional framework, including the provision of infrastructure and the administration of law, regulation and code of conduct; the other is to mobilize the political power that would bring about the modernization of the framework as circumstantial and/or societal priority. In the area of infrastructure for instance, Gov. Ikpeazu has been proactive in rebuilding the dilapidated roads in the State especially in Aba so as to ensure easy movement of goods and services. Infrastructure, favourable policies, manpower training and easy access to loan/ fund, from all indications have been provided for the Aba business community. There is therefore now no reason businesses should not thrive in Aba, Abia State.
Governor Ikpeazu truly understands that MSMEs are major catalyst for economic revival. His campaign promise of making Made-in-Aba products a global brand is now a reality. The products of the tireless efforts of this Workman with a brand cum foremost Brand Ambassador of Made-in-Aba goods are quite visible and would remain a testimony. There has been a lot of committed approaches toward ensuring that Made-in-Aba products take a higher dimension. The visit of the Acting President of Nigeria, Prof. Osinbajo indeed attests to this.
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has set a pragmatic and coherent economic agendum that would rescue Abia State from Nigeria’s economic quagmire. He is committed to transforming the State economy from a mono-product economy into a multi-product one and consequently restore the confidence of private investors as well as improve the overall economic climate.
Kingsley Maduforo is a Special Assistant to Governor Ikpeazu on Media.
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