Germany, LASG Reaffirms Commitment to Enterprise Development in Nigeria

Esther Oluku The German Consulate in Lagos has reaffirmed its commitment to deepening enterprise development in Nigeria as part of efforts to support micro, small and medium enterprises. The Deputy Consul-General of the German Consulate, Katharina Ziegler, stated this at the GROW Nigeria- National Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Conference put together by SMEDAN in partnership with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, commissioned by the German Government, alongside co-funding from the Governments of Denmark and Switzerland and the European Union. She stated that enterprise development is part of the priorities which guides Germany’s development cooperation with Nigeria. According to her, through collaboration with SMEDAN, GIZ’s Digitalisation Service Points have supported over 1,200 MSMEs to adopt digital solutions and improve their competitiveness with the Inspire, Create, Start and Scale (ICSS) programme having trained over 40,000 entrepreneurs, more than 30,000 Nigerians having acquired vocational skills, and 7,000 securing employments between 2018 and 2023. “Through GIZ, we work with Nigerian institutions and private sector partners to strengthen enterprises, improve access to finance, develop vocational skills and promote business-enabling reforms and digitalisation. Ultimately, the next frontier is not simply about helping more businesses emerge. It is about creating the conditions in which Nigerian enterprises can innovate, become more competitive, access larger markets and contribute meaningfully to economic growth. In the same vein, the Lagos state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, whose state played host to the conference, shared that his administration is keen on supporting initiatives which encourage businesses to grow. According to him, the state government’s presence at the event was to observe and spot these opportunities to ensure that businneses can scale. Meanwhile in his opening address, SMEDAN Director General, Charles Odii stated that this year’s event hopes to build on the successes of SMEDAN in strengthening MSMEs and transforming small businesses into strong enterprises. He explained that in the last twelve months, SMEDAN has trained 1,765,000 businesses and this year’s conference aligns with SMEDAN’s vision to support businesses and provide long-lasting solutions for them to grow and expand.