Late 2021, I facilitated a Business Enabling Environment (BEE) awareness workshops held for Value Chain (VC) Associations, under the Nigerian Competitive Project (NICOP). Representatives of the three NICOP VC Associations covered by the NICOP were in attendance at the events. The three VC Associations: National Tomato Producers Association of Nigeria (NATPAN), Plateau Leather and Apparels Sector Manufacturers Association (PLASMA) and the Ginger Farmers Association were in attendance, at the different days allotted to each VC Association, and finally on the day selected for all the VC Associations to assemble as one body for a workshop.
It will interest the reader to note that
the core objective of the workshops, like many others, organized at intervals for
either the business support groups or business operators themselves by the German
Development Agency (GIZ), leading International Development Organization,
operating in Nigeria, is to improve the employment and income
situation of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), in Nigeria. This particular
GIZ programme, and series of others, in Nigeria is conducted under the Pro-Poor Growth and Promotion of Employment in Nigeria, also known
as Sustainable Economic
Development In Nigeria (SEDIN).
The NICOP event, as a component of SEDIN, was funded by the European Union (EU), implemented in Nigeria by the GIZ. The programme sort to strengthen the competitiveness of the MSMEs, in the selected VC areas: Tomato/chili, ginger, leather and garment, as well as promote trade and export of Nigeria in the ECOWAS region. On the strength of this, yours truly through the workshops sort to enhance the operational capacity of the value chain associations, whose representatives attended the workshop, participated actively and promised to use the lessons learnt. 2023 is a good time for this platform….. to commence visitation of the Groups to assess their performance, and we will also be updating you on this and numerous other activities.
Deliberate steps were taken to improve understanding of the representatives of the VC Associations about their role in advancing Nigeria’s economic stature through increased visibility of the MSMEs’ activities, enhanced cooperation and competitiveness. The BEE event also provided opportunity to upscale their skills, channel the efforts and knowledge of the participants, including the lessons learnt from the workshop for enhanced business activities. Specially, the workshop widened their knowledge and sharpened their perspective about business enabling environment, especially, in the ability to generate a comprehensive, achievable, reliable and impact driven strategies, necessary to relate better with both state and none state actors, diversify their operations, and improve on their transactions, internally and externally.
For more desirable
impact to be achieved on the participants, and the noble objective of the NICOP
Programme attained and sustained, I had one goal clearly in mind, to approach
the event with the seriousness it obviously deserved. I considered therefore, the
assignment: the task involved and the goal for which the VC Associations were
engaged, very crucial and vital. For this reason, activities of the workshop
were designed to strengthen among other important issues, the leadership,
Advocacy and goal setting skills, of the VC Associations representatives. Similarly,
activities were targeted at enhancing their communication and relationship abilities.
Attention was in particular, devoted at deepening quite extensively, their understanding
of the challenges, responsibilities and duties of VC Associations, including the
implications of them not performing their roles effectively. To this end, their
place in nation building: sustainable economic development of Nigeria was
clearly identified.
Apart from building their confidence and strengthening their understanding of their role as wealth generators and job creators, their perspective were broadened to appreciate their function as the link to other Business Membership Organizations, and emphasis placed on the benefits of such. The workshop brought to the fore, the need for the VC Associations, to rise up, demonstrate competence and remain functionally active, bearing in mind always that they have a vital role to play in making demands for effective policy implementations, and drawing attention equally, of the state actors on policies that require reforms.
The workshop provided the opportunity, to make the participants become aware of the fact that their relationship with the authorities is facilitated by the principle of demand and supply. In this regard, they, as MSMEs and value chain associations, are expected to network with numerous other Business Membership Organizations (BMOs), to be making genuine demands for business enabling environment, while the authorities as the suppliers, striving diligently, provides the answers. They were made to understand that this requires commitment; consistency and confidence to remain not just focused, but resourceful, creative and tack, supported unflinchingly with capacity to press on through advocacy visits to relevant government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Effective advocacy
visits, they were told provide avenues for genuine rubbing of minds, fact based
inputs to decision making, and presentation of feedbacks, create a sense of
belonging, bonding and commitment, and a common front for fighting and dismantling
of barriers and constraints. In this instance the fight is about filling the gaps
in the regulatory and administrative support mechanisms at national, state and
local levels, to ensure massive socio-economic activities, necessary for fast-tracking
Nigeria’s competitiveness, in the ECOWAS Region, and widening her chances for
economic growth and sustainable development.
Nnabugwu Chizoba
More on this
assignment and other activities central to Business Enabling Environment, the
MSMEs and development activities, generally, both implemented, and on-going, embarked
upon by various levels of government, Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs),
Community Based-organizations (CBOs), etc., in Nigeria, will be coming to you
in our subsequent publications on this Platform. Keep reading us. Remember to live
your comment, using the commentary box. Like and follow us on our social media
handles, and to refer other people to the platform…Happy New Year from
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