By Grace Udofia
The Director General of Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria, SMEDAN, Dr. Umaru Dikko, Saturday, said Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, MSMEs, are the bedrock of development in any country.

Dikko disclosed this at a stakeholders’ forum on MSMEs organised in Abuja by AKG global, a company that specialises on multiple internet marketing.

According to him his agency will continue to support new innovation on e-business in Nigeria.

“I am elated today because MSMEs can now have platform for assessing local, regional and global markets for the development of the subsector in Nigeria.

‘’SMEDAN has been implementing the One Local Government, One Product Programme,OLOP, in the determination to address the challenges confronting MSMEs in the country”, adding that to sustain this, the agency is already in partnership with the Bank of Industry and the Nigerian Export-Import Bank.

In her response, the Managing Director of AKG Global, Aisha Kabir Gaya, said the objective of the platform is to register and verify the over 30 million MSMEs in Nigeria and to provide 2 million job opportunities for women and youths in e-marketing, as well as to train them on ICT and digital skills awareness.

She however called on all stakeholders like SON, NEPC, FMT&I, CBN and a host of others represented at the summit to encourage and support the innovation programme and help to compliment federal government’s mandate to provide job for all.