The Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Hajiya Aisha Abubakar, has commended Etisalat Nigeria for its support of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Nigeria.
The minister, who spoke in Abuja at the flag-off of the 2016 edition of Market Access Forum, organised by the Enterprise Development Centre, EDC, of Pan-Atlantic University, in partnership with Etisalat Nigeria, applauded the telecoms company for being in the forefront of promoting initiatives that support growing businesses as one of the key drivers of economic prosperity.
She said: “The time to support SMEs in Nigeria could not have been more auspicious than now that the Federal Government is consciously making efforts to diversify. “Certainly, this is a good omen for small and growing businesses, which constitute over 95 percent of the Nigerian economy.” Director, Enterprise Segment, Etisalat Nigeria, Eric Uwaoma, represented by Bidemi Ladipo, speaking at the event, reiterated Etisalat’s commitment to the growth of SMEs in Nigeria by continuously offering start-ups opportunities that could make them increase their capacity.
He said: “We have suppor-ted Market Access Forum for about four years, and we will continue to offer our support. “We support initiatives like this because it is important to show small and growing businesses how they can attain healthy growth the same way Etisalat attained its record growth.” Director, Enterprise Development Centre, Pan Atlantic University, Mr. Peter Bamkole, said the fundamental goal of Market Access Forum was to facilitate market access for Small and Growing Business, SGBs, by keying them into the value chain of large organisations.