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The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has advised those proposing to float small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) to ensure proper planning for their businesses to succeed.
This is just as the agency urged existing SMEs in the country to be resilient in the face of the current economic hardship in the country assuring that they would overcome the situation.
SMEDAN administrative officer in Kwara state, Mrs Adava Ometre, stated this during a lecture she delivered at a seminar organised by the correspondents’ chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kwara state council, for it members as parts of activities marking it 2024 annual press week.
Resource person: Mrs Adava Ometre from SMEDAN.
She said SMEs in Nigeria contributed 46.31% to Nigeria’s GDP and over 6 % to the country’s export saying that the figures were strong indications that they were doing well despite the current economic challenges.
“SMEs in Nigeria should be resilient, they shouldn’t give up, they should not close up because of the economic hardship they are currently going through, they will overcome it”, she said.
L-R: State Correspondent of News Agency of Nigeria Alhaji Abdulfatai Beki, The Chapel Chairman Alhaji Abdulhakeem Garba with other members of the Chapel during the seminar.
The SMEDAN official urged existing businesses to leverage various federal government interventions to grow their businesses by ensuring good packaging and branding of their products and services.
“If you want to succeed in any business today, your business must be well planned. Some businesses existed for 5 years but still closed because they were not well planned”, she said
Correspondents’ Chapel members in a photograph with the management of Pinnacles Resort Centre, Offa, Kwara State on 4/9/2024.
She advised practising journalists in Nigeria to explore the opportunities in their profession to also own their businesses.
“As journalists one of the ways you can own your business is to make your online presence very strong. As journalists, you must maximise online platforms. You have to be creative with what you do, you can create a niche”.
2024 Press Week Committee members in a photograph with senior management of Pinnacles Resort Centre, Offa.
She advised journalists to consider developing their brand and sponsored content, and offer paid services expertise in areas like media training, writing or social media strategy through paid consultations or workshops.
Meanwhile, the organizers of the Press Week said that the programme would continue on Thursday at Diamond Event Centre, Yidi Road Ilorin with a public lecture to be delivered by Professor Lukman Adeshina Azeez of the University of Ilorin and Senator Umar Suleiman Sadiq of Kwara North Senatorial District, on the topic: ‘Accountability and Transparency: How Journalism Can Foster Good Governance’ and ‘democracy good governance and Role of Citizens’ respectively.
His Excellency, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is expected to be the special guest of honour.
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