Merit Ibe

Ridonit Services Limited and Peace Corps of Nigeria, Lagos State Command have created a business connect fair platform to promote small scale and medium enterprises (SMEs).

The trade fair would be held at the National Stadium, Surulere from December 15 to 22, with the theme: “Edutainment of the Nigerian youth, an act of nation building.”

Highlight of the fair will include exhibition, empowerment and entertainment.

The initiator, Ridwan Onitolo said the fair is a dimension for SMEs, that is now strategic and essential for accelerating economic growth in Nigeria.

Onitolo said SMEs constitute about 90 percent of all the businesses in Nigeria, creating more than 80 percent of employment in the region.

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He added that the contributions of SMEs to the Nigerian economy cannot be overstated.

“The scale of this transformation should not be undermined.

Supporting SMEs in Nigeria to flourish is crucial because it creates a growing middle class with disposable income, in relation to market opportunities for new investors.

“SMEs have been playing a vital role by investing in community projects and financial support to charity organisations, enabling further development beyond their own ventures.

“One thing is clear, whether it is a small barber shop or a dry cleaning shop down the street, small and medium-sized businesses drive the national economies,” he said.

Given the potential of SMEs to unlock Nigeria’s economic growth, one of the challenges, however, is access to credit. “Addressing the challenge has been a priority for the government as well as private organisations for several years,” he said.