By Mike Adeyemi
Inconsistency and government policy have been traced to the bane of growth of Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs) in Kwara State.
Speaking on this backdrop, the Vice President, National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, Kwara Chapter, Sakirudeen Oladotun stated on Friday while answering questions from National Pilot reporter in his office.
According to him,’ the informal sector, which formed the buck of SMEs in Kwara State, is underperformed as a result of bad governmental policy.’
“The performance of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Kwara State is not too bad, but the percentage of people in the sector lacks the required prerequisite to upscale their businesses to march up with other states.
“The situation in Kwara State is that those who are doing these businesses are semi- illiterates, which has made it hard to upshoot their businesses. Yes there is hope for SMEs in Kwara if only the Kwara State government could play its part optimally, ” Oladotun said.
He added that successive governments in Kwara State have not been consistent in policies implementation which had retarded SMEs and businesses in the state.
“For instance in 2017, the immediate past administration created what we called Bureau of SMEs under the former Ministry of Commerce now known as Ministry of Enterprises. That Bureau has been abandoned and not active again.
“I think this present government hasn’t activated that optimally. And I belief that the Bureau is very germane and centered toward enhancing activities within the SMEs sub sector.
“I believe the state government has a big role to play in that area. Finances too is key to SMEs. Most actors in the sector don’t have the wherewithal to seek for loans in the bank.
“Government policy has been somersault in the area of SMEs. The situation we have in Kwara at present is that the business community is unregulated, ” he stressed.
Oladotun further added that for government to expand and strengthen SMEs growth in Kwara State, it has to create an eco-cluster environment.
“As things stand now, is as if we don’t have regulations guiding businesses in Kwara, and the sector cannot grow in such unethical domain. Government has to create an eco-cluster market, where every businesses pass through utmost rules and regulations.
“Without some level of formalization from the part of government, Kwara SMEs sector will continue to decline. If government had reactivated the Bureau, by now Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs) would have been responded well which will go a long a way to enable actors in the field to access credit facility.
“My concern is that currently, Kwara doesn’t have structure that will enhance productivity at the level of SMEs. One of the major problems of SMEs is access to finance alongside training,” the Kwara SMEs boss said.
