By James Emejo
Stakeholders in the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sub-sector have commended President Muhammadu Buhari for reappointing Dr. Dikko Umaru Radda as the Director General/Chief Executive of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) for a second term.
Speaking to journalists in over the weekend, an Abuja based businessman, Alhaji Abubakar Toyin, on behalf of other stakeholders, expressed satisfaction over the commitment of the present administration to promote entrepreneurial culture in all segments of Nigerian society.
He stated that the reappointment came to the MSMEs as a relief considering the fact that ongoing programmes currently spearheaded by the agency will be sustained.
He said: “We salute the courage of Mr. President to extend the tenure of Dr. Radda, as this singular act portends growth and progress for the MSME sector.”
According to him, Radda, has indeed transformed the MSME sector positively, apart from repositioning the agency to become a household name in the country.
He said within the first five years in office, the DG had revived major programmes and introduced new ones that have been impactful on the subsector.
Specifically, stakeholders identified the Conditional; Grant Scheme (CGS) and the One Local Government One Product (OLOP) as part of the programmes making waves and great impact in the MSMEs subsector in the economy.
Toyin, also praised the SMEDAN boss for initiating the MSME mass registration programme whose objectives he said, are to develop a comprehensive database of all MSMEs in the country on the basis of products, sectors, geographical locations, size, and owners’ personal information.
He pointed out that under Radda, the agency came up with initiatives targeted at women entrepreneurs as well as the national talent hunt meant to discover hidden talents in fashion and arts and craft.
He, nevertheless, urged to continue in the entrenchment of entrepreneurial culture, industrialising of rural areas, enhancing industrial cluster development ideas to further increase MSMEs contributions to GDP and amplify the nation’s export potentials to the rest of the world.
Toyin said: “That exploring the great potentials and quality of Dr. Radda at this critical time of our history is indeed a laudable effort of the government to continually reposition SMEDAN as a critical stakeholder/agency in the diversification policy of the Buhari’s administration.”
Buhari had last month reappointed Radda to head the agency for another term.
A statement issued by Head, Corporate Affairs Unit, SMEDAN, Mr. Ibrahim Mohammed, stated that the appointment was contained in a letter dated March 12, 2021 and signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha.
Reacting to his reappointment via his verified twitter handle the DG had thanked Buhari for giving him another opportunity to serve his fatherland and for the confidence and trust reposed in him, which he said, had indeed served as a pillar to the unprecedented success recorded in the agency in his first term in office.
