From Khadijah Usman, Akure
The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has trained beneficiaries of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) incubation in Ondo State.
TheNewszenith reports that the training, recently held in Akure, focuses on how incubators could access grants and loans. This is in order to boost their enterprises in the state.
The State Director of SMEDAN Mr Tomi Ikuomola, spoke to journalists on the sideline of the training.
Ikuomola highlighted the objectives of the training programme.
He said the training aims at educating agribusiness entrepreneurs on available intervention funds from relevant stakeholders. Such funds, he noted, they could apply for before their expiration.
“We also engaged participants on how they could benefit from the funds by leveraging their unique, innovative business ideas.
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“This will give IFAD incubators an advantage over other entrepreneurs in accessing these resources.
“Whenever we see opportunities and affordable funds in the form of grants or empowerment programmes, we try to sensitise our entrepreneurs towards them,” Ikuomola said.
He described grants as complementary support services or opportunities. to boost agriculture businesses.
According oit him, such opportunities are not solely from the federal government, but also from international grant organisations.
The SMEDAN director noted that the federal government grants and other loan opportunities were competitive.
He noted that having additional options could reduce such challenges, lessen competition and give entrepreneurs a better chance to expand their businesses.
Ikuomola assured that serious-minded individuals would easily access the grant in each local government area, based on what the state government has mapped out.
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