The Small & Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and the Ahmedabad-based International Centre for Entrepreneurship & Career Development (ICECD) recently signed a five-year MoU providing for collaboration in the field of education, research and extension services for MSMEs, along with promotion of entrepreneurship in the rural areas of Nigeria.
ICECD will conduct research in the areas of cluster development, technology transfers, incubation and projects relating to industrial parks in order to enhance MSME growth and competitiveness.
Over the years, ICECD has trained 300 trainers in Nigeria, and with SMEDAN, the target is to train 1,000 more trainers across 19 districts. ICECD experts Chandramauli Pathak and Vijay Bhuptani have just initiated this mission by implementing a “Training of Trainers” programme in five districts of Nigeria.
“By swelling the population of technically competent, locally relevant and internationally compliant service providers, we are laying the foundation for a robust and vibrant MSME sector in Nigeria,” said Nadada Umar, director-general of SMEDAN.
“Both agencies share a common goal to economically empower human resources. ICECD is ready to lead the world towards economic independence and Nigeria is just a beginning,” said Ms Hina Shah, director of ICECD.
ICECD’s MSME creation initiatives in India have helped developed over 35,000 enterprises directly in India and garnered investments totalling Rs 1,400 crore.