By Fatima Zahra Muhammad
ASHENEWS reports that the Niger State Policy on Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) was on Thursday presented to the public for deliberation.
This online platform further reports that the MSME policy was drafted by the Niger State Small and Medium Enterprises and Microfinance Agency with technical support from the Pro-Poor Growth And Promotion of Employment in Nigeria Programme (GIZ-SEDIN).
The policy, which targets the development of MSME in Niger State seeks to address salient issues that will help drive the growth of these businesses in Niger State.
Speaking during a one-day validation workshop on the policy held at the Idris Legbo Kutigi International Conference Centre in Minna, the Director General of the Niger State Small and Medium Enterprises and Microfinance Agency, Ahmed Shuaibu Gwada said that the policy, if domesticated would be the first of its kind in Niger State.
Gwada said that the MSME policy was long overdue in the state seeing that they (MSMEs) constitute the highest employers of labor in the state.
On the areas highlighted in the document, Gwada explained that the policy will address, among other issues, the pressing demand for funding, and infrastructure and also deal with the challenge of multiple taxation.
“MSMEs can’t develop without finance. We are trying to see how we can have easy access to funds, either directly or through linkages.
“We also want to allow for synergy among agencies and businesses. An MSME might need a space to operate in the state. We’ll need to discuss with the ministry of lands and housing to provide a space for them. We also need to address issues of taxation. Ideally, a business should get a break to be allowed to germinate before being asked to pay tax.
“All these and more will be covered by this policy,” he said.
Earlier in his remark, the Niger State Coordinator of the GIZ-SEDIN program, Bello Dantoro said that the GIZ was supporting the state government in line with its mandate to help drive economic growth in Nigeria.
Dantoro said that MSMEs have immense potential to help Nigeria in addressing its unemployment challenge.
This, he said has made it imperative for the public and private sectors to collaborate on giving the sector a facelift.
On its part, the Niger State Government has promised to implement the policy once it is fine-tuned at the end of the validation workshop.
Secretary to the State Government, Ahmed Ibrahim Matane, while speaking during the event said that the state government was looking forward to domesticating the policy in the interest of economic development.
Matane identified MSME as a catalyst for economic growth.
According to him, “over 70 percent of businesses in Nigeria are micro businesses. We have identified the challenges they face such as access to infrastructure, and taxation challenges. This policy will address many of these challenges,” he said.
