By Naomi Uzor

The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) has  called for implementation of the National Enterprise Development Programme (NEDEP) and the Nigerian Industrial Revolution Programme (NIRP) stating that  both programmes will  reduce drastically the mortality rates of small and medium sized businesses in the country.

The National President of NACCIMA, Alhaji Mohammed Badaru Abubakar, who made the call in Lagos, said if government and private sector implement the recently launched NEDEP and NIRP, in a very short period of time, Nigeria will move away from mono-economy.

“We can see what is going on with the cement, fruit juice and present mining activities in Zamfara state by the Chinese, as well as the announcement by government that four foreign companies would soon begin the mining of gold and iron ore in Kebbi, Osun and Kogi just as  more than 20 foreign companies from Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Italy, China, Republic of Niger, India, South Africa and Ukraine had obtained exploration licenses to carry out solid minerals’ exploration across the country,” he said.

Abubakar said there is need for government to demonstrate the political will and transparency to ensure the realisation of the objectives of the two programmes, adding that, the need to promote non-oil exports in an economy like Nigeria cannot be over-emphasised, given the global trend to boost trading relations among nations.

“Our members who are business operators would definitely key into and benefit from the programmes, he stated, noting that NEDEP has been designed to create at least 3.5 million jobs across the country through the development of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector, which is the engine of economic growth.

“We expect that the NEDEP being spearheaded by the Federal Ministry of    Industry, Trade and Investment (MITI), in collaboration with the major drivers – the Bank of Industry (BoI), the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) would harness the vast opportunities in the MSME sector to drive inclusive economic growth through skills acquisition, entrepreneurship training, business financing, employment generation as well as wealth creation,” he said.

He urged government to give serious consideration to dealing with institutions such as NACCIMA, MAN, NECA, and NESG rather than individuals on all Government Committees critical to the growth and development of the industrial/business sector in the country.