LAGOS AUGUST 22ND (URHOBOTODAY)-The Federal Government on Tuesday said it had reduced the costs of registering Small and Medium Scale Enterprises with the Corporate Affairs Commission by 60 per cent.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Olusegun Aganga disclosed this while speaking at the 8th annual Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises finance conference.
The conference with theme ‘MSME financing in Nigeria: Past, present and future’ was conceptualised to look at the MSME finance sub-sector from a holistic perspective.
Aganga said the directive for the reduction of the business registration costs was given by President Goodluck Jonathan, adding that the development underscored the importance of the sector to poverty reduction, job creation and inclusive growth.
He said since SMEs account for about 80 per cent of businesses registered with the CAC as well as about 50 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product, there was need to remove all factors that would impede their development to nation building.
He said, “The administration of Mr President has made it a matter of importance to support MSME in certain key areas-access to affordable finance which we are doing here today, access to markets, formalization of businesses, skill acquisition, provision of infrastructure to reduce the cost of businesses for SMEs.
“Already, the president has approved a reduction in the cost of setting up SMEs by 60 per cent and the idea is to reduce the cost of doing business.
“So today if you are going to CAC to set up a company, then know that the costs have been reduced by 60 per cent already.”
He said the N220bn facility whose disbursement was flagged off at the event by Jonathan would help not only to empower SMEs, but address the access to financing needs of the sector in an efficient and sustainable manner.
Jonathan while speaking at the event commended the CBN for providing the fund for the development of the sector at an interest rate of nine per cent.
He added that the decision of the apex bank to set aside 60 per cent of the fund for women was in line with his administration’s commitment to women empowerment.
The president said MSMEs have been recognised globally as the engine of growth in any development-oriented economy.
He added that due to their inherent labour intensive production processes, they also provide a veritable platform for job creation.