Operators, Financial Institutions, Others, to Chart new Course at Nigeria SME Summit

Stakeholders in the nation’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) sector will congregate at the maiden edition of Nigeria SME Summit and Awards 2018 to chart a way forward. According to a statement by the organisers, Lakewhyte Communications, the event, which would hold later in the year, has the backing of the body overseeing the sub-sector in the country, the Small and Medium Enterprises Development agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN).

The statement said stakeholders in the economy, including captains of industry, seasoned academicians, regulatory bodies and government, are expected to brainstorm on the challenges faced in the sub-sector and proffer solution.

The organisers said in addition to brainstorming sessions, the event was also going to be used as a platform to recognise individuals, government agencies and corporate bodies that have been at the vanguard of efforts to promote SMEs in the country.

Also, pro-entrepreneurship governors would be recognised at this maiden edition of the Nigeria SME Summit and Awards.

“Whereas this is the first edition, the Nigeria SME Summit and Awards will subsequently be organised on annual basis,” the organisers said.

“Our SMEs have strived to be the best that they can, with the help of public-spirited institutions and individuals, to be the engine of economic growth. The least we can do is to recognise their efforts so that, collectively, we can move the economy of the nation forward.”

The organisers noted that developed nations across the world achieved their status because of the attention they gave to SMEs, saying no effort should be spared to get the nation’s SMEs to live up to expectation, as the engine of its economic growth.