The German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), says it is committed to closing identified gaps between Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and the market place.
Ms Sina Uti-Waziri, GIZ Head of Component on Access to Markets and Innovation, said this on Tuesday in Abuja at a stakeholder’s forum on Industrial Cluster Development organised GIZ.
Uti-Waziri said that efforts were underway to close the gaps in order to curb wastage of resources, salvage losses and boost productivity particularly for MSMEs in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“The GIZ under its Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Development for Decent Employment in Nigeria Programme (SEDIN) programme is looking at ways of closing the gaps between MSMEs and the market places for their products.
“In FCT, we have identified that we have MSMEs clusters that have very good products but very often we see that they’re not growing as much as we will want to see them grow.
“We have done our assessments and realised that there is a gap between the MSMEs and the market places, especially the bigger market places where MSMEs can make sales from bulk buyers.
“For example there is gap in linking MSMEs clusters in Jos to bulk buyers in Lagos or in other states where products might not be as available as it is in the location of the MSMEs clusters.
“We are working to ensure that we bridge this gap and enhance productivity, boost sales, curb wastage and reduce cost of storage and losses,”she said.
He noted that simple communication was still a major barrier for MSMEs.
Uti-waziri said that GIZ-SEDIN had introduced a training curriculum for MSMEs on how to access market places and had trained various national institutions on the curriculum, e-commerce and digital literacy.
Mr Bala Tsokwa, Team lead, Rural Community Development of Abuja Enterprise Agency, lauded GIZ for creating a forum for stakeholders in FCT to brainstorm and propose ways to bring the gaps and boost MSMEs productivity.
“The Abuja enterprise commends the GIZ for its unwavering commitment to enhancing the competence and growth of the MSMEs in the FCT.
“In our dynamic and ever evolving economic landscape, MSMEs remains the bedrock of our development in the FCT, driving innovations, creating jobs, and ensuring sustainable growth.
“However, the MSMEs are still being faced with challenges that hinder its potentials and recognising these challenges, partnership with the GIZ becomes pivotal to address critical areas.”he said.
Tsokwa said that the agency was relying on organisations such as GIZ to lay a foundation for a more resilient and competitive industrial sector in FCT, and in Nigeria.
Mr Akinropo Omoware, GIZ Head of Component on Business Environment Reforms Investments and Infrastructure, reiterated the commitment of the GIZ-SEDIN programme to ensure that MSMEs continued to grow, scale and create jobs.
According to him the GIZ-SEDIN programme started since 2012 and it is largely focused on MSMEs to be able to grow, scale and create jobs.
“We have supported MSMEs largely through the value-chain support but under this fourth phase of the GIZ-SEDIN programme we are now looking directly at business clusters, industrial clusters, business hubs, and physical markets.
“We want to know how we can help them improve services that businesses can get directly in these clusters from the MSMEs and GIZ-SEDIN is committed to facilitating this growth process.
“Today we have brought stakeholders together to look at the FCT where we have assessed seven clusters that we will be working with to address their challenges,”he said.
He called for the support of public and private stakeholders and other actors within the FCT to support MSMEs to provide improved services within and beyond FCT.(NAN)
