EDC, SMEDAN, Others, Partner to Strengthen Agric SMEs Capacity
Oluchi Chibuzor
The Enterprise Development Center EDC of the Pan Atlantic University has collaborated with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), and Kaduna Business School to strengthen the capacity of Agriculture Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and Business Development Services Programmes (BDSP) in Nigeria.
This was made known at the EDC’s AG-SME Bootcamp and Pitch Competition, a three-day, fully sponsored intensive Enterprise Development Center program for agric SMEs across the country.
Addressing business owners and entrepreneurs at the programme, Head of Alumni Relations and Support Services, Dr. Nnenna Ugwu said, “We want to watch great entrepreneurs who have applied for this AG-SMEs empowerment programme. Those who win will each receive a grant of one million Naira to boost their businesses.
According to her, “They have gone through the Bootcamp, and shared fantastic business ideas, and also showed that incredible people are playing in the agric space with innovative ways of doing business. So, that’s practically why we are here, to select the best from the best.”
Lead, Research, Monitoring & Evaluation at the Enterprise Development Centre of the Pan-Atlantic University, Dr. Stanley Ibeku, said, “We are here because the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Enterprise Development Centre, (EDC) of the Pan Atlantic University, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), and Kaduna Business School (KBS), have come together to be able to strengthen the capacity of agric SMEs so that they will be able to access available financing as well as have that capacity to be able to grow and scale their businesses by offering them different technical and managerial competencies, whether it is in investment, operation, management, personal and financial management.”
One of the beneficiaries, Ms. Damilola Awojobi said, “It has been impactful. I would say it’s been eye-opening, those two words particularly, because my eyes were brought to see things again that I had formerly neglected as a business owner, things like, taking particular types of records,” she added.
