National e-commerce policy will support MSMEs, says NITDA

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National e-commerce policy will support MSMEs, says NITDA

The National Information Technology Development Agency has said the soon-to-be-launched National e-Commerce Policy and Strategy and the National Outsourcing Strategy are important documents that will largely support Micro, Small and Medium scale Enterprises in Nigeria.

The spokesperson for the agency, Mrs Hadiza Umar, disclosed this in a chat with Saturday PUNCH.

She stated that NITDA and the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria were working towards ensuring the increased use of technology in all businesses, particularly the MSMEs to achieve the national goals outlined in the National Development Plan 2021-2025.

Earlier, NITDA disclosed that it was partnering with SMEDAN to institutionalise the activities of SMEs in the country.

The proposed agreement which was made known during a meeting between the Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, and his SMEDAN counterpart, Mr Olawale Fasanya, in Abuja, was to establish a structure for SMEs and to protect the Gig economy.

According to the NITDA boss, 60 to 90 per cent of businesses in Nigeria are SMEs but operating informally, and institutionalising them would serve as a catalyst for creating wealth and prosperity.

Umar noted, “The digital economy sector in Nigeria has been the crown jewel of economic sectors since the pandemic started. The sector has been key to Nigeria’s recovery efforts and ensuring that citizens can continue accessing services through ICT from either businesses or the government. This is evident in the expansion of e-commerce businesses by the MSMEs during the period and beyond.

“Micro, small and medium enterprises are the bedrock of the Nigerian economy contributing 43.21 per cent of nominal GDP. They account for 96.9 per cent of businesses and 87 per cent of employment. There are approximately 39.7 million MSMEs as of December 2020, according to the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics.

“NITDA and relevant stakeholders have seen the need to facilitate the growth of e-commerce in Nigeria and the overall digital trade. This and many other reasons have brought NITDA and SMEDAN closer in collaboration on how to leverage the opportunities and support the development of the MSMEs. The organisations have significant investments in infrastructure and human capital in the MSME space. This is an effort to bring out additional initiatives for the MSMEs in the country.”