Post by Trade facilitator on Apr 1, 2017 22:33:07 GMT 1
The Federal Government has pledged to support the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria. This pledge was made during the launching of the National Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MAME) in the country, the National MSMEs Clinics and Booklet.
While inaugurating the clinics, Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo said they were part of government strategic commitments aimed at improving the business environment across the country. Osinbajo stated that the agenda of the Federal Government is to create sustainable platforms through its relevant agencies that would ensure that businesses in the country produce locally made goods are given adequate support and wider spectrum to grow.
``We will spend time to ensure that we give those who produce locally all the support that we can give, and that is why we are doing this clinic,’’ he said.
He added that the clinic was designed to bring together all those agencies in one spot and at appointed times across the country to attend to the needs, questions and requests of people doing business.
However, he urged the relevant government agencies to see themselves as facilitators of the business and remove restrictions that are often reported when enterprises have something to do with the agencies.
In his own address at a different engagement, and as part of further efforts to boost agricultural produce in the country, the minister of agriculture and rural development, Audu Ogbeh disclosed that the federal government is set to reduce the price of Nitrogen Phosphorus and Potassium (NPK) fertilizer from 7,500:00 thousand naira and 9,000:00 to 5,000:00 naira per bag. While addressing journalists in an interview in Abuja, he noted that the exercise was aimed at making food production easier and enhance profit for farmers in the country.
Ogbeh assured Nigerians that his ministry would take delivery of the first shipment of 800,000 tonnes of NPK fertilizer from Morocco and blending would take place in all parts of the country to enable farmers have access to the fertilizers at low costs.
``We expect the first shipment of phosphate from Morocco to arrive in Lagos and then the blending will be done here. We want to ensure that every blender in the country who has the capacity will blend and even those that their machines are not in order will be supported,’’ he explained.
The minister express concerns about neighboring countries that depend on Nigeria for fertilizers and assured Nigerian farmers that government would ensure the fertilizers circulate despite demands from those countries.
``The target we have is 700,000 – 800,000 tonnes of fertilizer per annum from Morocco but the problem is we do not only satisfy Nigeria, our neighboring countries also come in and take a bit. We cannot deny them entirely but we have to satisfy ourselves first,’’ he concluded.
