In a previous publication on this platform, I made reference to Business Enabling Environment (BEE) awareness workshops, yours truly facilitated in a European Union (EU) funded but German Development Agency (GIZ) implemented Project: Nigerian Competitive Project (NICOP). As clearly pointed out in the said publication, the beneficiaries are members of the Value Chain (VC) Associations that NICOP in Plateau state covered. The VC Associations are the:
- National Tomato Producers Association of Nigeria (NATPAN),
- Plateau Leather and Apparels Sector Manufacturers Association (PLASMA) and
- Ginger Farmers Association.
The workshops, took place towards the end of the year 2021. The year 2022 has gone. Very soon your darling platform
The hunger to widen the reach of the lessons of the
GIZ’s development activities, in Nigeria, is borne out of concern that the
country and her citizens are not tapping enough from the huge investments and
opportunities that GIZ Projects are creating. This is the spur for this present
initiative. It is our earnest desire that more Nigerians, far beyond the direct
beneficiaries or participants of such projects will take advantage of the
opportunity that this Platform is bringing to find a new direction and better
their lot in life.
Development and economic activities are our major focus.
The MSMEs and the private sector activities generally are the focal point of our
reportage. We will be strengthening and brightening the opportunity for the
MSMEs to thrive and for those intending to go into business to do so with
increased chances of success: increased income, enhanced wealth generation and
job creation abilities.
Rural and semi-urban areas will be attended to. Efforts
will be made at bridging identified information gap, existing presently at the
rural and semi-urban areas. The knowledge and skills that the GIZ is always
throwing up, will be spread to them. MSME oriented Networks that target among
other structures the rural and semi-urban centers will be raised. Structures
similar to the Business Development Committees (BDCs), Business Enabling Environment
Committee (BEEC) and the Value Chain Associations are needed in the 36 states (BEEC),
and 774 local government areas (BDCs), in Nigeria. We are quite optimistic that
our platforms, which include a dedicated radio station for enterprise and
development activities, tagged “SCORELINE ENTERPRISE AND DEVELOPMENT RADIO (SENDER)
will serve the purpose of improving the situation of the MSMEs.
GIZ’s efforts at building the capacity of both public and
private sector actors and providing information for the purposes of increasing
the knowledge and understanding of both about their roles and how they can work
together to raise a formidable MSMEs entrepreneurship eco-system. Efforts at achieving
this can be gnarred from the various activities of the GIZ geared towards building
the capacity of the two inseparable parties (Public and Private sectors) to Network
effectively, seeking opportunities where the engagements widens the scope of each party, triggering
improvements: horizontally and vertically.
Aware of the theory of critical mass advantage, this
platform is leading a massive movement where the rural, semi-urban and urban areas
even; will be repositioned to do exploit. With this movement in mind, I can say
with excitement that the development package tagged: One-Local-government-One-Product
(OLOP) designed long ago by the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency
(SMEDAN), will pick life, and through the movement receive a boost that will
add fundamentally to the collective quest of Nigerians to grow economically. If
OLOP is resurrected today, the economy will witness heartwarming economic changes,
with visible improvements, on critical indicators of growth and development. Any
committed, sincere and keen observer and follower of GIZ activities in Nigeria will
unreservedly support this platform to expand and deepen the lessons of the GIZ in
Nigeria’s development efforts.
I note particularly, GIZ’s deep commitment in the
areas, such as Project structuring, programming and implementations. We consider
these issues crucial and critical to sustainable development efforts. There is
no doubt that opportunities abound in Nigeria for both the Private and Public
sectors, to translate the on-going hues and cries of Nigerians, substantially
into a reliable economic development blueprint, with the capacity of lifting
the country out of the dungeon of aid dependency, to a self-reliant, self-sustaining
and self-sufficient economy. With the quantum of work that GIZ thorough the Germans,
development experts from other countries, and Nigerian professionals have done,
in Nigeria, this is a doable project.
The realization that most citizens, including MSME
operators, startups and numerous others, intending to go into business may
never have the opportunity to come in contact directly with the level of
capacity building the GIZ offers, is one major push behind the decision to
bridge this gap through this platform. Aware also that large portion of those
that have participated in GIZ programmes may not have attached the importance, interest
and commitment deserving of the quality of capacity building they received from
a highly reputed development Agency that GIZ is, equally necessitated the
creation of this platform to move the lessons into the society.
We are convinced that without committed efforts between
You and Us, to spread and put to work the profound lessons of the several GIZ workshops,
trainings and conferences, including the Public Private Dialogues (PPDs), Nigeria’s
economy may remain comatose, the downward slide continues, and the woes of the people
linger and largely unabated. Increased commitments to learning, spreading
lessons learnt beyond workshop, conference and seminar participants; and
putting to work such lessons remain the acceptable currency to building a sustainable
economy, in Nigeria.
Nnabugwu Chizoba
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