Thursday, August 25,
2016
The President Muhammadu
Buhari-led Federal Government, through the Ministry ofIndustry, Trade and
Investment, FMITI, has concluded plans to boost Small and Medium Enterprises,
SMEs in Nigeria, with the introduction of the initiative tagged- Business, Innovation
and Growth, BIG Platform.
With adequate support
by the World Bank, the FMITI, in a statement on its website, seeks to grow SMEs
in Nigeria, along the lines of sales, as well as providing employment
opportunities for Nigerians.
The statement read: “The
Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, (FMITI) with the support of
the World Bank seek to grow small businesses in Nigeria. These businesses will
be boosted along the lines of sales and employment, so that we can eventually
grow our economy and reduce our dependence on crude oil.
“This initiative is
called the Business, Innovation and Growth (BIG) Platform and it is
operationalized in the Growth and Employment (GEM) Project.
“The FMITI and World
Bank have identified five sectors that have high potential for growth in
Nigeria; and these are the sectors that will be accessing the support the BIG
Platform will be offering. The sectors include- Construction, Entertainment,
Hospitality, Information and Communication Technology, ICT and Light Manufacturing
(Including Agro processing).
“The participating
businesses will receive support in the following ways: Free Technical
Assistance: Including training and consulting services and possibly; Grants:
Available in 5 categories: Equity, Matching, Performance, Institutional,
Innovative.”
Explaining how
Nigerians can register for the BIG Platform initiative, the statement stated:
“The steps to accessing this support is: Log on to the BIG Platform
(www.bigportal.org.ng), create an account and register your business, Attend an
induction workshop and Access the various services available on the BIG
Platform”
It added: “We welcome
existing Nigerian businesses operating within the aforementioned sectors to
register their business on the BIG Platform to benefit from this project.”
SOURCE: VANGUARD