From Paul Orude Bauchi
The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has trained 22 tailors in Bauchi state.
The Director General, SMEDAN, Mr Olawale Fasanya, disclosed that the programme was put up by SMEDAN to improve the performances of tailors in the state.
Fasanya spoke during the closing ceremony of the training and distribution of starter packs to the beneficiaries in Bauchi on Friday.
The DG of SMEDAN explained that the aim of the programme was for people to see well packaged and designed clothes being sown by these tailors.
Fasanya added that the training was not meant for beginners in the tailoring industry.
He said the training was meant for established tailora to help them get more finished products that could be exported abroad.
Represents by Mr Salau Mikhail, Deputy Director, SMEDAN, headquarters, the D-G said Nigeria has a lot of talented tailors but many were faced with challenges of finished work, hence the training and empowerment by SMEDAN.
Fasanya said that each of the beneficiaries would be given three different types of sewing machines so as to enable them get a more finished work that could make them compete globally.
“With some of these empowerment we are going to give them which are finishing machines, it will help them get to market both locally and internationally,” said Fasanya.
The D-G assured that the federal government would cover more participants in the empowerment programme in order to showcase their talents to the international world.
He called on the beneficiaries to take very good care of the machines given to them and urged them to use the starter packs effectively and for the purpose they were meant for.
“They have been taught how to handle the machines as well as how to maintain them and they are expected to employ more people with the starter packs given to them,” he said.
Malam Abdullahi Meshago, the Organising Secretary, Bauchi State Tailors Association, said thee beneficiaries have gained an additional knowledge during the two-day training exercise
“We were trained on how to improve our services and how to get more profit in our business,” Meshago said.
“We really appreciate the federal government through SMEDAN because this is a life changing empowerment for all of us who were lucky to have been selected”
He also assured that every participant of the training was ready to show SMEDAN, their customers or even the whole world, their improved services and good finishing of their works which could be packaged for export.
He promised that the monitoring committee of the association would ensure that none of the beneficiaries sold any of the packs.