By Vera Osokpo
The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria has asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to support efforts to promote locally manufactured products and expand skills-development opportunities for young Nigerians.
The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of SMEDAN, Charles Odii, made the request in Abuja during a courtesy visit to the EFCC Executive Chairman, Ola Olukoyede.
Odii commended Olukoyede for what he described as efforts to rebuild confidence in Nigeria, particularly the country’s international reputation. He said the EFCC chairman’s work over the past 34 months had helped strengthen trust in the country.
The SMEDAN chief executive said the agency was implementing programmes aimed at equipping young Nigerians with practical skills and helping them establish sustainable businesses.
He disclosed that SMEDAN had obtained approval from the Ministry of Education to establish the Inspire, Create, Start and Scale Institute. The institute is expected to offer National Diploma programmes while incorporating entrepreneurship into students’ training.
Odii said the initiative was designed to ensure that young people leave the programme with both technical abilities and the capacity to build viable businesses.
He also highlighted SMEDAN’s work with inmates nearing the end of their prison sentences. Through skills-acquisition programmes, the agency trains inmates in areas that can support their reintegration into society.
According to Odii, the proposed national MSME policy would include provisions encouraging businesses to employ rehabilitated former inmates who have acquired skills, expressed remorse and are ready to return to lawful economic activity.
Odii further proposed cooperation between SMEDAN and the EFCC’s Cybersecurity Research and Training Centre. He offered to provide relevant curriculum content and technical support so that entrepreneurship and business-development training could be integrated into the centre’s programmes.
He also sought collaboration on the rehabilitation of young people involved in cybercrime by providing them with practical skills and opportunities to pursue legitimate businesses.
Olukoyede welcomed the proposals and expressed the EFCC’s readiness to work with SMEDAN on local-product promotion, youth empowerment, skills development and cybercrime prevention.
He said expanding legitimate economic opportunities was essential to addressing the factors that push young people towards cybercrime.
The EFCC chairman urged Nigerians, including staff and members of the EFCC community, to patronise locally produced goods. He said supporting Nigerian businesses would help them grow and contribute to the development of the national economy.
Olukoyede also proposed the development of a national policy promoting made-in-Nigeria products, arguing that stronger support for local production would encourage industrial growth and reduce dependence on imported goods.
He warned that cybercrime posed a serious threat to Nigeria’s economy and international image. According to him, the activities of cybercriminals could cause extensive damage to the country’s financial system and reputation.
Olukoyede disclosed that the EFCC’s Cybersecurity Research and Training Centre was expected to train an average of 500 participants at a time, with government support for the project.
He invited SMEDAN to participate in the initiative from its planning stage through to its full operation. He also pledged support for SMEDAN’s Inspire, Create, Start and Scale project and other programmes focused on youth development.
During the visit, the SMEDAN delegation presented several locally made products produced under the agency’s Guidance, Resources, Opportunity and Workforce initiative. The items included hibiscus tea, coffee, wax candles, cassava biscuits and native fabrics.
Olukoyede said the EFCC would engage relevant institutions to develop practical solutions for reducing youth involvement in crime and supporting the government’s wider development objectives.