Anyone who has not visited Kaduna State in the last three or four years will now most likely not be able to navigate his way around due to the many changes around the metropolis.
For many years, many have said Kaduna State, Northern Nigeria’s foremost capital city, had remained stagnant in terms of infrastructural development.
It would be recalled that when Governor Malam El-Rufai assumed office on May 29, 2015, he made it clear from the outset that he would prioritize growth and development.
From inception, the governor had made good his promise when he began the reform in the education and health sectors and eventually the massive urban renewal project.
However, it has become pertinent to draw his attention to the somewhat neglect of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSMEs) sector.
There used to be a Micro-Credit Board under the previous government, which was used to support MSMEs in the state. The board should be strengthened and fully supported to enhance the visibility of businesses and ensure that small businesses get access to funding and market opportunities. The board, when given the necessary support, will empower millions of entrepreneurs in Kaduna State with training, networking and access to credit facilities that will ensure business sustainability and growth.
To do this, there is however the need for more entrepreneurs to be enlightened about this platform to key into its robust opportunities for accelerated economic and business growth. When start-ups get government support either through funding, grants or loans, networks, and capacity development, they would no doubt reduce the worrisome state of insecurity by ensuring that idle youths are empowered to seek alternative means of livelihood that will ensure meaningful development.
Though, I commend the efforts made by the present government in addressing some of the state’s pressing issues, especially in creating an enabling environment for businesses to excel, it is my fervent prayer and appeal that the government will put in place workable policies and programmes that would further encourage such businesses to remain afloat.
This is a plea to Malam El-Rufai to beam his spotlight on MSME’s and platforms like the Micro-Credit Board which seeks to empower youths and start-ups so that in their own little way, they can contribute to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the state and boost the capacities and capabilities of small businesses. By doing this, Kaduna will not only be known as the best investment destination, but it will also be known for its commitment towards ensuring that small enterprises by the ordinary man thrive.
In other words, you will not only carry small businesses along, but you will also be creating endless opportunities for thousands of families in Kaduna and beyond.
Mukhtar Hassan writes from Kaduna
