29th Edition of MSME Clinics & Handing Over Of Imo State Fashion Production Shared Facility

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REMARKS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PROF. YEMI OSINBAJO, SAN, GCON, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, AT THE COMMISSIONING AND HANDING OVER OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FASHION PRODUCTION SHARED FACILITY AND THE 29^TH NATIONAL MSME CLINIC IN IMO STATE UNDER THE NATIONAL MSME CLINIC SCHEME ON THE 14^TH OF DECEMBER  2021

PROTOCOLS

Your Excellency, Governor Hope Uzodinma, thank you for supporting and hosting this 29th National MSME Clinic. I also thank you for the excellent preparations that you made for the success of this MSME Clinic.

I bring you all the warm felicitations of Mr. President, President Muhammadu Buhari who has made MSMEs a priority for his administration because they are an engine of growth for the economy and because they account for almost half of national income and three-quarters of jobs created in our country.

Given our determination to support our countrymen and women who run small businesses, we have held MSME Clinics in at least 28 States of the Federation. The MSME Clinic is an opportunity for small businesses to meet with regulatory agencies such as NAFDAC, CAC, SON, SMEDAN, BOI, so that they can get to know the problems of small businesses in this State and the small businesses can benefit from the advice and in some cases, the help of some of these regulatory agencies.

We have explained to the regulatory agencies that they are meant to be facilitators of business and trade, not obstacles to trade. This is why we bring them to every State where we have an MSME Clinic so that they can interact with the businesses themselves.

In the course of running the Clinics, we noticed that in addition to their requests for a more friendly regulatory environment, MSMEs also wanted to be supported in terms of production facilities which were lacking or too expensive.

This is how we came up with the idea of supporting MSMEs by providing at least one Shared Facility in every State of the Federation. It is also why the President approved the Shared Facility Scheme for MSMEs as part of the MSME Clinics.

A Shared Facility is a place where the government provides various equipment and machines for a particular type of trade. These are usually very expensive industrial type machines and equipment. They are usually too expensive for any small business to buy. Government invests in buying the equipment and in providing the space for the facility which is located in an area where there is a cluster of that trade or business or a place where there are many people in the particular trade or business.

The idea is that such people can then have access to the use of the machines and equipment in that facility. In this way, government assists many people involved in the same trade with machines and equipment that they would not have been able to buy themselves.

To do this, the Federal Government partners with interested States, the Bank of Industry, NEXIM Bank, and the Private Sector. And the particular trade or business to be supported is chosen in collaboration with the State Government and relevant MSME stakeholders.

In 2021 alone, work has commenced on the development of 10 facilities across various States to compliment those previously commissioned in Anambra, Benue and Lagos States.

In Benue State, we have built a 200,000 capacity Yam Storage facility, at the Zaki Biam International Yam Market, the largest yam market in Africa, and possibly in the world.

In Lagos State, we built the Eko MSME Fashion Hub 1 (one) around Allen Avenue which services about 300 tailors and fashion designers daily.

The Anambra State Facility is in Ogbunike, Oyi, it is a shoemaking facility with industrial equipment and machines within close proximity of the Anambra shoe-makers cluster.

The Edo State Facility is woodwork carpentry and cabinet making facility located within the Edo Production Centre in Benin City. We are, by the Grace of God opening the Edo State Facility on Friday the 17^th of December 2021.

There is also the Kaduna State Facility, located within the Soba Tomato Cluster in Soba Local Government Area of the State. The manufacturing of the specialized machinery for tomato paste production is ongoing and is expected to be commissioned within the first quarter of the year 2022.

The Kebbi State Facility is located in Birnin-Kebbi, Kebbi State. The facility will provide 2 lines of rice milling machinery to assist rice farmers to also mill their rice and benefit more from the rice production value chain.  Equipment manufacture has been completed with the facility expected to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2022.

The Ogun Shared Facility will be located within the popular Adire Market in Abeokuta, Ogun State at the request of the State Government. Under the scheme, works on the upgrade of internal infrastructure will be commenced in January 2022 and is expected to be completed in April 2022.

Ebonyi State Facility is located within the Uburu Industrial Cluster in Uburu, Ebonyi State. Machines are being produced for the production of various types of footwear and leather works for shoe-makers in Ebonyi State.

Kano State Facility is located within the Kano Metropolis of the State where we have a Shared Facility for various types of footwear and leather works for shoe-makers in the State.

The Katsina State Facility will cater for tomato farmers within the State through the provision of modern machinery for the production of tomato paste. The facility is expected to be commissioned in the 2^nd Quarter of 2022.

The Ekiti State Facility will cater for cocoa farmers through the provision of machinery for the processing of cocoa and cocoa flour. The facility is expected to be completed in the 2^nd quarter of 2022.

The Bauchi State Facility is expected to be located around Azare in the State and will cater for groundnut farmers through the provision of modern groundnut oil milling plants. The facility is expected to come on stream early next year.

This facility that we just commissioned today about an hour ago is the fourth to be commissioned in the country. It is a facility strategically located beside the Amakohia Market, considered to be one of the most important markets within the metropolis and sits along the famous Orlu road, which is one of the most important commercial areas within the city. It is a well-equipped facility for shared use for those who are involved in the production of various types of garment wares and clothing items.

It has special facilities that enable it to be a one-stop garment production centre for the end-to-end production of various types of clothing items.

The facility comprises about 200 world-class both manual and fully automated fashion equipment and when used to full capacity, it will service 350 MSMEs daily and 110,000 each year.

It will enable fashion businesses within the Owerri metropolis and environs to carry out several tailoring activities straight sewing, weaving, hemming, embroidery, monogramming, screen printing, and heat. The monogramming facility is particularly important because it enables those who want to make tee-shirts, face caps, to do several thousands in one day. These facilities are not available in most parts of the country and many of them are now made available here.

The idea is to improve the quality of locally made clothing items, improve household income for local tailors, create jobs and create access to high quality and modern machines. It will also improve the contribution of local tailors to revenue for the Local, State and Federal governments.

Let me commend His Excellency, Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State and his team for their commitment to improving the lives and opportunities available to the good people of this State. This partnership with the Federal Government is an excellent example of the way a State Government should work jointly with the Federal Government in order to benefit the people of the State.

The Federal Government and Federal resources belong to all Nigerians; each State is entitled to seek partnerships with the Federal Government to better the fortunes of their people.

In April, I was here to commission several road projects including the famous 3km long Dick Tiger Road. A road covering more than ten streets including the Dick Tiger Street and its commissioning solved the problems of flooding.

Only a few weeks before I came, the President commissioned virtually, two major road projects: the World Bank to Federal Secretariat Road and the Assumpta to General Hospital to Port Harcourt Road.

In September, the President came personally to commission some roads in this State. Since then, there have been several commissioning of infrastructure projects. This is the value of good purposeful government. The only way to provide good jobs and a decent standard of living for our people is by providing good infrastructure to enable them to do their work and run their businesses unhindered.

This aligns with Mr. President’s own belief that the building of roads, rail, power, digital technology and other infrastructural assets must be the first priority for economic development. And in this, we have no choice, Africa’s largest economy can only provide opportunities for its huge population if it runs on modern infrastructure.

This is why Mr. President has prioritized infrastructural development and has brought some key projects under special funding arrangements. For example, the Lagos Ibadan expressway, the 2nd Niger Bridge, the Abuja-Kano roads, are all under the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund. The funds are provided and managed by the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority.

The Federal Government is focused on providing every Nigerian with a good-paying source of livelihood. This means providing a favourable environment to do business and a safe and secure environment.

As we work assiduously towards this objective, we call on you the great people of this State to stand with the State Government and the Federal Government in achieving these objectives.

The land on which we stand today is yours as Nigerians, we have no other land to call our own. We must never allow this land to become unruly or ungovernable, we must do our own best to ensure peace, this is the only way to eat of the bountiful fruits of this land that God has given us.

Your Excellencies honoured guests, it is now my very special pleasure and honour to officially hand over the Fashion Cluster Shared Facility in Amakaohia Market to the Chairman of the Local Government Administration.

It is also my special pleasure to officially open the Imo State MSME Clinic and the 29th National MSMEs Clinic.

Thank you very much, God bless you.