NCC, SMEDAN, NAICOM, SEC, others Confirmed for Supernews SMEs Conference

The Director General, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, SMEDAN, Charles Odii, the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, Aminu Maida, other regulators, experts, financial services and ICT stakeholders, have confirmed their readiness to attend the Supernews Nigeria SMEs Forum.

The event, billed to take place at the Radisson Hotel, GRA, Ikeja, Lagos, on Thursday, June 13, will also feature the presence of small business owners.

Themed, ‘Bringing SMEs into the Financial Services Network via Fintech’, the forum will be declared open by the Director-General of SMEDAN, Charles Odii, while the Executive Vice Chairman, NCC, will chair the event.

Renowned economist and financial expert, Biodun Adedipe, the MD/CEO, Biodun Adedipe & Associate Ltd., will deliver the keynote address, an address that is expected to bring much insight into issues faced by SMEs in their day-to-day businesses activities particularly in Nigeria.

According to the organizers, the conference will also feature a panel session, to be handled by erudite scholars, including the Chairman, Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, NASME, Yeye Modupe Dada; Managing Director/CEO, Sunu Assurances Plc, Sam Ogbodu, Managing Director/CEO of APT Securities and Funds Limited, Kasimu Garba Kurfi and Head, Financial Institutions Ratings at Agusto & Co., Ayokunle Olubunmi.

The Special Guests of Honour for the conference include the Director General of SMEDAN, Charles Odii; Acting Director General, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Dr. Emomotimi Agama and the Commissioner for Insurance/CEO, National Insurance Commission, NAICOM, Olusegun Ayo Omosehin.

In a statement in Lagos, publisher of SUPERNEWS Nigeria, Ngozi Onyeakusi, said the choice of the theme of the Conference was borne out of the quest to improve the business climate for SMEs in Nigeria by leveraging on technology in terms of accessing financial services.

She added that it’s unfortunate that SMEs that form the bedrock of every economy are plagued by a lot of challenges, especially inadequate access to finance.

Reports indicate that the challenge of SMEs in accessing funds could be traced to inadequate access to financial institutions and education, skills, experience of owners/managers, high interest rates, gender discrimination, among others. It therefore becomes imperative to leverage on technology to ensure their sustainability, productivity and profitability.

The conference, she said, would, among others, examine the key challenges faced by the SMEs in Nigeria and provide practical solutions to help overcome them. It will equally explore the benefits of fintech for small businesses, including how it can help them overcome financial challenges and drive growth through technology-driven solutions.

She emphasised that the confab is a learning opportunity designed to enhance awareness, deepen understanding of the participants on how SMEs can grow and sustain their businesses by embracing various financial services options, including banking, capital market, pension and insurance.