IWD: SMEDAN Rebrands, Restates Commitment To Women’s Prosperity

Afonne Emmanuel
Mar, Sat, 2024

Business , Economy/Business

IWD: SMEDAN rebrands, restates commitment to women’s prosperity

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By Lucy Ogalue

The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has unveiled a new brand aimed at ensuring prosperity for small business owners, especially women.

The Director-General of SMEDAN, Mr Charles Odii, on Friday in Abuja, said it was part of the agency’s way of celebrating International Women’s Day (IWD).

Odii said the rebranding would also reposition the agency towards achieving its mission of job creation, rural industrialisation, and livelihood enhancement through sustainable development of the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) sub-sector.

“As the agency responsible for the transition of nano businesses into micro, small, and medium, we understand the importance of change and progress.

“Not just for the sake of it, but because adaptation and evolution are crucial for relevance and impact,” he said.

According to Odii, the agency is working at strengthening its bond with the entities it served and the local and international stakeholders it collaborated with for success.

He said: “more importantly, we want to reassure SMEs that we are `#HereForProsperity, their prosperity’.

“We have created a brand that is closer to the people, modern in its outlook, approachable in its demeanour, and vibrant in its spirit.

“The backbones of our economy deserve to be catered to by an agency that mirrors the excellence they showcase daily and aspire to.

“We made the deliberate choice to announce this on International Women’s Day because of the significance of women to our prosperity mission.”

According to the director-general women are responsible for almost 75 per cent of SMEs in the country.

He said they had also distinguished themselves as investment multipliers, on whose backs and hard work the economy rests.

He said: “as part of our renewal, SMEDAN is rededicating itself to the empowerment of women, ensuring that they get deserved support and recognition for their productivity and contributions.

“We will start this at home, with the women of SMEDAN, many of whom have invested decades of their lives into building stronger roots for the pillars that hold the Nigerian economy.

“The new SMEDAN will spotlight them, provide them with the tools and resources to create more impact, and achieve personal progress.”

“While we will continue to deliberately create growth opportunities for women, none will be left behind. Our pledge to SMEs remains.”

The SMEDAN boss reiterated the agency’s commitment to offer guidance, provide resources, opportunities, and ensure workforce support to the women.

“No longer will a future-forward, people-government facing agency like ours be seen to work for just a few, but for the good of all.

“SMEDAN-2.0 encourages big dreams, small starts, and fast growth for the Nigerian businessperson and the country.

“This is because we are convinced that when the Nigerian business person prospers, so does Nigeria,” Odii said.

Meanwhile, the Head, Women and Youth Desk of SMEDAN, Olabimpe Fawale, reiterated the agency’s commitment to women development.

Fawale said the agency had dedicated a desk to women and the youths of Nigeria and would focus more on women entrepreneurship and developments.

“We want to see how we can work together with them to enhance their growth to make them to be more productive, want to drive inclusiveness.

“We want to ensure that women voices are aired, even in politics, in business in all the sectors that women are meant to be thriving.

“We are doing wonderfully well, but I know we can do more. And that is why SMEDAN has set aside today to join the whole world to celebrate the uniqueness in women,” she said.

Mrs Linda Omubo-Pepple, the Director of Partnership and Coordination Department, urged women in society not to relent in their efforts.

She said: “many countries have realised that women are the developers of every economy, so they ensure that whatever they do, women benefit.

“We understand the economy is biting hard, but together with SMEDAN, they can achieve their goals as we are here to support them in their businesses. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Ese E. Eniola Williams

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