By Lucy Ogalue
Social Transparency and Youth Leadership Advancement Initiative (STYLAI), a Civil Society Organisation (CSO), has urged the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) to expand its intervention programmes beyond Abuja and state capitals.
The Executive Director of STYLAI, Mr Jacob Okpanachi, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.
The executive director spoke on the sidelines of the celebrations marking the 2026 World MSMEs Day, organised by SMEDAN in Abuja.
Okpanachi said an expanded programme would enable entrepreneurs in rural communities participate in SMEDAN’s intervention programmes.
According to him, many farmers and rural business owners are unaware of SMEDAN’s programmes and lack access to information needed to benefit from government initiatives.
“I think there should be a better way to reach them because those in rural communities are more in number than those in the city centres,” he said.
He also commended the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) for being transparent in its programmes.
Okpanachi said the organisation partnered with SMEDAN to ensure transparency and accountability in the agency’s engagement with Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
He said SMEDAN had significantly improved its processes, making CSOs more confident in the agency’s delivery of interventions.
“From what we have seen, the processes of engaging small business owners are becoming more transparent and accountable,” he said.
Jacob cited initiatives such as interest-free business financing through organised groups and the agency’s partnership with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to support business formalisation.
He said the interventions would encourage more entrepreneurs to register their businesses and access government support.
The SMEDAN Director-General, Charles Odii, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to supporting MSMEs through skills development, business formalisation, shared production facilities and improved access to business support services.
Odii said the agency had adopted a more consultative approach by engaging directly with traders and entrepreneurs before designing intervention programmes.
“It is not okay for us to sit in comfortable offices and make policies for market women and men without understanding their challenges,” he said.
The director-general said SMEDAN remained committed to accountability by regularly engaging the media and civil society organisations to review its programmes and offer constructive feedback.
He said the agency would continue to partner stakeholders to strengthen Nigeria’s MSMEs ecosystem and ensure interventions reached deserving entrepreneurs across the country.
Odii also declared open the World MSMEs Day exhibition, where beneficiaries showcased products developed through SMEDAN’s training and empowerment programmes.
He said the exhibition demonstrated the impact of the agency’s interventions in helping entrepreneurs acquire skills, establish businesses and expand their operations. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Ese E. Ekama-Williams