By Ikhili Ebalu, Benin City
Edo State government recently took another bold steps in strengthen the medium and small scales business in the state with the inauguration of committee of experts which will drive the process of clustering Medium and Small scales enterprise, MSMEs in the state for efficiency.
The committee which is labeled as the “Industrial Policy Committee” is charged with the responsibility to developed an industrial policy for the state with focus on MSMEs.
Similarly, the committee is expected to develope a blueprint to strengthen and improve the proficiency and efficiency of the contributions of the medium and small scale enterprises, otherwise known as the MSME’s, in line with the policy on accelerated industrialisation of the state government
The state Commissioner of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Hon Afie Braimoh inaugurated the committee in her office in Benin,.
In her remarks at the ceremony, the commissioner stated that the State government has already engaged consultants and in partnership with the Ministry of Industry is about to break ground on the world class Benin Enterprise Park which will play a major role in providing the much needed space with 24/7 power for industries to grow and thrive.
Hon Braimoh further urged the committee to undertake a thorough SWOT analysis on the local MSME’s to identify the operational MSME sectors and clusters so as to help government deploy incentives and resources appropriately.
Ms Yuwa Naps, the Permanent Secretary in the state Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, will serve as coordinator of the committee, while a renowned industrialist, Mr Festus Okougbo, is the chairman of the committee.
Other members of the committee include Ms Ajimoti Blessing Oluwatosin, representing one of the development partners, GIZ, on the committee, Mr Alaba Okun, Mr Joseph Igiekhume, Mr Joseph Inegbedion, Mrs Enobakhare, Mr Reuben Akogbe, and Mr Ken Ogedegbe.
Giving a vote of thanks on behalf of the committee members, Ms Yuwa Naps, applauded the commissioner for the careful manner in which she chose the committee members, assuring the committee will discharge its task diligently and help develop an endurable and actionable industrial policy for the state.
Also, the chairman of the committee, Mr Festus Okougbo, thanked the commissioner for the confidence reposed in them, stating further that the committee would adopt scientific approaches in arriving at world-class solutions to the industrial growth of the state.
Recall that penultimate week, the state government had, through the ministry, announced a series of incentives aimed at boosting the capacity of the local MSME’s as well as expose them to global best practices, including the sponsorship of a selected group of MSME owners to the forthcoming USA/Africa Expo, which is scheduled to hold later in the year in the US