By Roseline Okakah

Ondo State Government has concluded plans to organise Small and Medium Enterprises, SME summit in 2024 in order to strengthen them.

Besides, the state has trained exporters of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises MSMEs on export certification and standard.

The state Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperative Services, Akogun Akinwumi Sowore disclosed this at a capacity building training for Exports/ MSMEs held in Akure.

He said people should not depend on government alone for everything but also fashion out ways of doing things without government assistance.

According to him, the programme which coincided with the celebration of the African Industrial Day opened people’s eyes to how to do export promotion without hitch.

He said the ministry has strengthened its collaboration in trade and export on how to improve on export promotion.

The Resource person, Mr. Kola Awe who spoke on the theme; “Export Documentations and Standards”, said the training will bring revenue through taxes and other areas, generate employment and create potential for the state.

“The moment they start exporting, the state will be on the map as an exporting state in Nigeria not only for Cocoa, but for other products,” he affirmed.

Earlier, The Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs Funmilayo Akintola, said the Federal Government collaborated with the World Bank to approve State Action on Business Enabling Reforms (SABER) as a performance based intervention programme which has been keyed into.

She explained that SABER is a three-year intervention programme which started in January 2023 and would end in December 2025.

She informed that it is aimed at strengthening the implementation of businesses and enable reforms in Nigeria specifically across the participating states in the country.

“The SABER programme is to improve the sub national businesses and create enabling environment with different disbursement link indicators to assess the participating states.”

Also speaking, the state Chairman of Nigeria Association of Small Scale Industrialists, NASSI, Mr GreatSeyi Akintunde and the Export promotion President of Ondo state exporters, Mr Tunde Ajayi appluaded the effort of the export council.

They appealed that subsequent trainings be organised same day with the African Industrialisation day celebration on yearly basis.