The Nigerian Government has been urged to collaborate with the World International Economic Group (WIEG) to enhance Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) for job creation.
Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Azubuike Ihejirika (rtd), made the call at the official inauguration of WIEG mandate Nigeria on Saturday in Lagos.
WIEG is created to foster a global partnership that would open new boundless business opportunities while preserving our honourable members’ cultural and business ethics.
Ihejirika said that the Nigerian Government and related MDAs must partner WIEG in sharing views and opening business opportunities for Nigerians.
He said that the partnership would boost the ease of doing business policy of the President Muhammadu Buhari led government.
Ihejirika was represented at the occasion by Ambassador Chuks Alozie, the National Chairman, Nelson Mandela, Noble Peace Award Board Nigeria.
He explained that Nigeria WIEG should take advantage of the position of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala at the World Trade Organisation to explore business areas of partnership and collaboration.
He explained that WIEG had much to offer in contributing to national economic growth.
“WIEG is a veritable platform that has been provided by men and women of goodwill to re-engineer and retool our business endeavour and mind set to conform to international best practices.
“We live in a world that technology, networking and synergy are the driving factors of economic of nations.
“WIEG from my perception is bringing what is most needed in our contemporary society to revamp businesses and genuine business concerns,” Ihejirika said.
He added that WIEG business approach would certainly redesign the country’s business outlooks as a people, stimulate and encourage starters and well established organisations.
According to him, WIEG business approach reduces encumbrances, bureaucracy and bottlenecks that brings frustrations and stress to businessmen and women.
“I implore our teeming business community, especially our youths to key into this well-articulated business system.
“In business, you need stronger partners and associates to succeed. That is what the World International Group is offering Nigerians and by extension Africa,” Ihejirika said.
He described WIEG as a veritable organisation that would be used to change the business psyche of our people considering the poverty rate, exchange rate, the challenges of doing business in the country.
According to him, WIEG is a veritable tool that should be used to lift Nigerians out of poverty in line with the Federal Government mandate.
Also speaking, Prof. Gen. Chris Nwanne, Nigeria’s WIEG President, said that WIEG, a business organisation was established for community development, business growth, humanitarian services and economic empowerment.
According to Nwanne, WIEG is aimed at correcting market failures, complementing market mechanisms, supporting small scale businesses and creating national and international economic environments for them.
“Our aim is to serve as a bridge to help every member and all registered businesses in the world at large receive support and do business to the end of the earth from where they are trusting all receiving agents in 200 nations.”
He said that the organisation encourages small scale businesses to break limitations into the global market without struggle.
He said that WIEG was created to foster a global partnership that will open members to over 200 million business partners in the world.
Nwanne noted that WIEG had created national and international business economy that would assist and expose small scale businesses to a global market.
He said WIEG had representatives across the 747 local government areas in the country to drive the organisation’s vision.
On future expectations, Nwanne said that WIEG Nigeria’s target in the next five years was to produce a minimum of two million entrepreneurs who would be on their own and be employers of labour.
“Our aim is for people to feel the impact of governance at grassroots level, government alone cannot provide the needed dividends of democracy,” he said
Jennifer Chukwukaeme, WIEG’s National Secretary 1, said the organisation was a multi-faceted, humanitarian and business venture.
Chukwukaeme said the organisation had the mandate to reach out to the grassroots in Nigeria through community development projects.
“We have structures in every state; every state in Nigeria is represented in the WIEG structure to ensure that no state is left out,” she said.
She said the organisation wants to use the WIEG mandate to help the government in job creation and infrastructure development.
NAN/Nnenna.O
