By DADA AYOKHAI
The decision of the Edo State Government to make the local MSME’s the focal point of its industrialisation policy has begun to create a multiplier effect, as the MSME’s have now developed the ability to source their raw materials locally thereby boosting the state’s economy, saving costs and the scarce foreign exchange which would have been spent on importation.
Hon Afie Braimoh, the state’s commissioner of Industry, Trade and Cooperatives, made the revelation in Benin, the Edo state capital, in her goodwill message delivered at the one-day export sensitisation seminar organised by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, NEPC.
The theme of the one-day export sensitisation seminar is: Leveraging the Export Drive in Edo for Increased Export Drive
An obviously elated Hon Afie Braimoh, basking in the euphoria of the feat, commended the local MSME’s for looking inwards, stressing the backward integration approach adopted by the local MSME’s is huge leap and promised ministry would sustain the momentum until the MSME’s can source 100 percent of their critical raw materials locally
Hon Afie Braimoh and her ministry have been at the forefront of the aggressive campaign to promote the patronage and consumption of the “Made- in- Edo” goods and services, a major policy shift for the Obaseki administration that has caught on like wildfire
Recall Hon Afie Braimoh’s ministry has done a lot to bring a new lease of life to the hitherto dead MSME sector through a variety of capacity-building initiatives such as the sponsorship of the local MSME owners to both local and foreign trade exhibitions, business clinics, workshops, seminars, and fairs, including the recently concluded “Opportunity Fair” which the ministry co- organised with SMEDAN.
: In her speech, she said “Made- in- Edo” products enjoy very good ratings and patronage on the international scene and attribute it to the hard work her ministry and its partners have invested to teach the local MSME owners “new ways as well as their ability to learn and appropriately deploy the newly learned strategies and techniques.
She noted, “The MSME’s are coming up with well-processed foods in better packages. They are doing an awesome job by creatively applying fresh insights as well as adopting better production techniques. There is also a sense of greater awareness on best practices and diversification”.
She added the state government is doing a yeoman’s job to provide local MSME’s with the incentives and support to broaden their export potential as well as promote the patronage and the consumption of ” Made- in- Edo goods and services
She further disclosed that her ministry has been able to successfully train about 626 MSME owners on financial literacy, stating the beneficiaries were drawn from the three senatorial districts in the state, adding her ministry still keeps a close eye on them, maintaining the state government through her ministry will continue to provide growth opportunities for the msmes.
Dr. Andrew Okilu, the Benin branch manager of the NEPC, described the seminar as timely, saying it is an integral element in the Council’s efforts to grow the non-oil sector as well as increase its contributions to the nation’s GDP, insisting the MSME’s a critical partner in the march towards self-sufficiency, export growth, and job creation, adding that is why the Council would go the extra mile to support and help them build the required capacity to meet national yearnings.
