The Vice President, Kashim Shettima has hailed the contributions of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to the Nigerian economy, describing them as the engine room of the nation.
Shettima, who spoke on Saturday in Abuja during the 8th National MSME Awards Abuja, noted that the current administration was building an entire ecosystem that nurtures innovation, provides essential infrastructure, and removes barriers that have historically held back small businesses in Nigeria.
According to him, “90 per cent of all Nigerian businesses are MSMEs. They are the largest employers of labour in this country, providing jobs for over 60 million of our people. Through bold and innovative ideas, and through sweat and courage, our MSMEs are improving the livelihoods of Nigerians and transforming our communities through the prosperity they create”.
The administration is building a sustainable, enterprise-led Nigeria, where MSMEs are improving livelihoods through the prosperity that is created in targeted infrastructure projects, business-support grants, and economic reforms, the Vice President, stated.
The core vision, according to him, is to decentralise economic opportunities so that prosperity is shared equitably among all citizens.
Represented at the event by the deputy chief of staff to the president, Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, the vice president urged winners of the awards and every Nigerian entrepreneur to keep building, assuring them of the government’s support.
“Nigeria needs your ideas, your jobs, and your leadership. I have no doubt that the federal government, along with state governments and our private-sector partners, will continue to build an enterprise-led nation where creativity is rewarded, small businesses grow into conglomerates, and prosperity is shared by all,” he declared.
VP Shettima noted that MSMEs improve the livelihoods of the citizens and transform communities through the prosperity they create.
Because the enterprises are very vital to the nation’s economy, the VP identified one of the central pillars of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda as creating “an enabling environment in which they can thrive and prosper” instead of confining them to grants and loans.
(Ripples)