The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), has launched a specialised Training of Trainers programme to develop certified entrepreneurship coaches who will nurture technology-driven, investment-ready businesses.
This was disclosed in a statement by the Head of Corporate Affairs Unit, SMEDAN, Mr. Moshood Lawal in Abuja.
According to the statement, a Director in the Director-General’s Office, Mr. Onesi Lawani represented the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of SMEDAN, Mr. Charles Odii, at the two-week Abuja Centre for Entrepreneurship (ACE) Project training in Abuja.
He urged participants to become drivers of innovation and enterprise development across Nigeria.
He said the selected trainees would be equipped as ACE-certified trainers with the responsibility of mentoring young Nigerians to harness technology, innovation and creativity in building scalable businesses.
“You are expected to become ACE-certified trainers capable of grooming young Nigerians to leverage technology, innovation and creativity to build and scale investment-ready enterprises,” he said.
The Director General disclosed that the programme attracted “overwhelming interest”, with more than 1,100 applications received nationwide.
He noted that despite the availability of funding for startups in Nigeria, many entrepreneurs are unable to attract investment because their businesses are not sufficiently prepared.
“Although significant funding opportunities exist for Nigerian startups, there remains a shortage of investment-ready businesses capable of attracting available capital,” he said.
He therefore challenged the participants to focus on producing entrepreneurs capable of building globally competitive enterprises that can scale beyond Nigeria’s borders.
The SMEDAN official identified Fintech, Agritech, Healthtech, Logistics and Mobility, the Creative Economy, digital media, fashion, gaming, animation and film as priority sectors offering immense opportunities for innovation and business growth.
Highlighting Nigeria’s growing influence in Africa’s technology ecosystem, the SMEDAN boss said the country remains the continent’s leading startup destination and is home to five of Africa’s eight unicorn companies.
He urged the participants to contribute to transforming Nigeria’s youthful population into globally competitive entrepreneurs capable of building billion-dollar businesses and accelerating the country’s economic transformation.
“Help transform Nigerian youths into globally competitive entrepreneurs capable of building billion-dollar businesses and contributing to Nigeria’s emergence as one of the world’s top ten economies,” he said.
Expressing optimism about the impact of the training, the Director General said the programme would strengthen the participants’ commitment to advancing the objectives of the Abuja Centre for Entrepreneurship Project while deepening Nigeria’s entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem.
The Abuja Centre for Entrepreneurship is a strategic entrepreneurship and innovation initiative of SMEDAN, implemented in partnership with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), to promote enterprise development, innovation and job creation across Nigeria.
