By Lucy Ogalue
The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are set to strengthen support for young entrepreneurs.
The Director-General of SMEDAN, Mr Charlse Odii, in a statement on Thursday, said the decision was reached, when the EFCC Chairman, Mr Ola Olukoyede visited him in Abuja.
According to Odii, the collaboration will focus on cybersecurity, financial literacy, capacity development and responsible entrepreneurship.
He said partnerships among government institutions were important to delivering President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly for Nigeria’s growing youth population.
He said youth empowerment required a holistic approach combining skills, access to opportunities, mentorship, digital knowledge, financial literacy and responsible enterprise practices.
The EFCC boss, in his remarks, commended SMEDAN’s youth-focused interventions, describing them as significant efforts towards equipping young Nigerians with skills and opportunities.
Olukoyede said such interventions would help young people become productive participants in the economy and avoid negative activities that could harm Nigeria’s economy and image.
“The two agencies agreed to strengthen collaboration through knowledge sharing and joint capacity-building initiatives.
“A key area of collaboration is the proposed integration of relevant components of the ICSS (Inspire, Create, Start, and Scale) curriculum into EFCC’s cybersecurity training programmes.
“The agencies also agreed to explore EFCC’s participation in relevant SMEDAN training programmes for entrepreneurs and young people.
“The training will strengthen awareness of cybersecurity, financial responsibility and ethical business practices among participants,” he said.
Olukoyede said the collaboration was expected to bridge enterprise development and financial crime prevention by equipping young entrepreneurs with skills to operate responsibly.
“It will also help entrepreneurs understand the importance of complying with the law and protecting their businesses in an increasingly digital economy,” he said.
The proposed partnership is expected to strengthen the capacity of young Nigerians to establish and grow businesses while promoting ethical and secure business practices.(NAN)