The Acting Governor of Edo, Chief Philip Shaibu, has advised Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to register with the appropriate state agencies in order to get the requisite government assistance to grow.
Shaibu gave the advice yesterday in Benin during a stakeholders meeting between the MSMEs and the state Ministry of Physical Planning, Urban and Regional Development.
The meeting was convened in partnership with the German Agency for Cooperation (GIZ), which is working to ensure an enabling environment for the MSMEs.
The business owners, the acting Edo chief said would need to register with the state Ministry of Trade and Investment, so as to receive necessary attention.
“As Government, we will use the banks; we will also use our facilities to grow your businesses because we have discovered we need you to function.
“We need you to stand; until you stand, our economy will be shaking and we don’t want our economy in Edo to be shaking.
“We want to grow our GDP. Our target is not 28 per cent contribution to the GDP (Gross Domestic Product), our target is to have MSMEs accounting for at least 65 per cent,” he said.
Shaibu described MSMEs as a critical stakeholder that was responsible for 79 per cent employment in the state.
Earlier in her address, Ms Blessing Ajimoti, Edo Coordinator for the GIZ-SEDIN programme, urged the MSME owners to leverage on the opportunity to ask questions about the Benin Masterplan.
She said her agency’s partnership with the state ministry was in fulfillment of its objectives.
One of these, she said, was to improve the employment and income situation of MSMEs through access to finance and business service.
She also said that GIZ SEDIN programme also aimed to strengthening entrepreneurial and managerial skills, and addressing key barriers in the business environment and investment climate.
Mrs Isiken Omo, the state Commissioner for Physical Planning, Urban and Regional Development, had earlier explained that the meeting was a continuation of the series the ministry was having with stakeholders.
The commissioner said the invitation to the MSMEs was to appreciate the valuable contributions of this informal sector to the state economy.
The Benin Masterplan, she said, was to have a befitting city that would serve all residents.
