SMEDAN to assist trainees source funds to establish ventures
NAN-H-68
Ventures
By Chukwuemeka Opara
Abakaliki, Nov.18, 2016 (NAN) The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) is to assist its trainees source funds to start their businesses, an official has assured.
Mr Monday Ewans, SMEDAN’s Acting Director, Policy, Advocacy and Coordination, gave the assurance in Abakaliki in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
According to him, trainees trained by SMEDAN in skills and entrepreneurship development with collaboration of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) will benefit from the programme.
“At the conclusion of their training, we will assist them to develop practicable business plans and forward such to the Bank of Industry (BOI).
“The BOI is handling the Access to Finance aspect of our programme, as it would review the plans and offer funds to the trainees to start their various ventures.
“This would enable the trainees practicalise the technical and entrepreneurship skills they acquired; to create jobs for themselves, society and check poverty,” he said.
He noted that the vocational, skills training and financing initiative is under the National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP), a subset of the National Enterprise Development Programme.
“The NISDP was conceptualised to build a bridge over the gap between employers and job seekers in the industrial sector, aimed at reducing youth unemployment,” he said.
NAN recalls that SMEDAN in conjunction with ITF recently trained 500 youths from Ebonyi on skills acquisition and entrepreneurship development.
Ewans who represented Dr Dikko Radda, SMEDAN Director General at the training’s closing ceremony, inspected items produced by the trainees with officials of ITF, Ebonyi government, among others. (NAN)
RCO/GOM/OU
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Edited by Gregory Mmaduakolam/Obike Ukoh
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