SMEDAN Empowers Women, PLWD in Cooperatives

The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has organised a landmark financial empowerment programme for selected cooperatives in 21 states across the country.

Mr Charles Odii, SMEDAN’s Director-General, said this in a statement by Mr Moshood Lawal, Head, Corporate Affairs of SMEDAN, on Wednesday in Abuja.

Odii said that the initiative aimed to boost the production output of these cooperatives, which were predominantly owned by women and people living with disabilities (PLWD).

According to him, the programme, which includes comprehensive training and financial support, is designed to address the unique challenges faced by these groups in accessing finance and building sustainable businesses.

” By empowering these cooperatives, SMEDAN is committed to fostering economic growth, promoting inclusivity, and reducing poverty,” he said.

Odii said that selected cooperatives through the initiative would receive financial support to enhance their production capacity and business sustainability.

He said that they would benefit from training and capacity building as participants would be given comprehensive training on business management, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship skills.

He said that the programme prioritised women-owned and disability-led cooperatives, promoting diversity and equal opportunities.

“The agency remains committed to supporting the growth and development of small and medium enterprises in Nigeria, with a focus on inclusivity and sustainability.

”There is a preponderance of Cooperatives led by women and the ones exclusively owned by people living with disabilities.

“This programme is holding in Enugu, Bayelsa, Zamfara, Kwara, Gombe, Osun, Ondo, Plateau, Kaduna, Bauchi, Kebbi, Katsina, Akwa Ibom, Sokoto, Taraba, Nassarawa, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Abia,Yobe and Cross Rivers states,” he said.

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He said that the programme was scheduled to hold from April 15 to April 17 across the locations above.

He said that at the end of the engagement, each cooperative would be linked to indigenous Business Development Service Providers in the State.

He said that the essence was to lead them through the process of embracing contemporary managerial practices in their respective cooperatives.

Source: (NAN)