Abia MSMEs urged to tap into GEMS4 project to grow businesses

Micro, small and medium entrepreneurs (MSMEs) in Abia State, and especially those in Aba, the state’s commercial hub, have been advised to tap into access to market project facilitated by the Growth and Employment in States (GEMS4), to create alternative market for their products.

The GEMS4 project, funded by the Department for International Development (DFID/UKaid), which focuses on gender and women’s economic empowerment, will enable MSMEs in Abia to host their goods online and attract new markets for their products.

Aisha Lawal, private sector development advisor (wholesale and retail sector) GEMS4, who gave the advice in Aba at a State MSME Summit and Exhibition organised by Made in Nigeria Global Consultancy Services Limited and facilitated by GEMS4, explained “the project intends to create opportunities for MSMEs to find their way into the market.”

She also said the GEMS4 project would help local producers to improve quality of their products to enable them compete favourably in local and international markets.

According to her, we want to see a situation whereby our MSMEs have market for their products.

“It is not all about producing; we also want to provide market locally and internationally for those products. And how can we do this, by producing quality products, branding our products properly to ensure that our products have necessary ingredients that will put them at par with foreign goods.

“We are here to support you to create all the necessary linkage to get to the website. We are also here to link you to the necessary business networks. Whatever you want to do, whoever is having challenges with relevant regulatory authorities, we are here to see that the constraint is sorted out to enable you do your business,” she said.

Micah Mendei, senior intervention manager, GEMS4, also noted that the project would create new market opportunities for the entrepreneurs, as most entrepreneurs sold their products in the traditional markets.

According to Mendei, with the growing number of internet users, not so many people go to traditional markets to shop. Most people prefer convenience, and so the online platform provides the convenience, Mendei said.

“And even goods sold over the internet are even far cheaper than those sold at the traditional markets, because they don’t have to incur cost in transporting their goods from point of purchase to point of sale, neither are they going to incur cost for renting stores in the traditional market.

“It is also a platform for them to be connected to the various regulatory agencies. Many of them have tried to get their products certified as individuals, but not many have been able to actualise that, because perhaps when they made efforts, they met a particular constraint and they stopped,” Mendei said.

He stressed that government agencies like the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Standards Organisation of Nigeria, Corporate Affairs Commission, Bank of Agriculture and the Bank of Industry, have come to understand that the project aimed at opening up spaces for smaller businesses to grow along the economic ladder.

“Consequently, through our partnership we have been able to link them together such that the agencies can now work directly with some of these businesses, support them and customise solutions that fit their current status, “he said.