LAGOS – The Association of Business Owners of Nigeria (ASBON) say it generated 3,000 businesses through its one week capacity building programme, tagged “ National Small Business Week’’ in November last year.
The association’s President, Mr Olufemi Egbesola, made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen in Lagos.
Egbesola said the association projected to create 10,000 new businesses and train business owners in a capacity building forum, but was only able to generate and train 3,000.
“We projected 10,000 businesses that would create about 30,000 jobs.
“So, if we follow the formula, our new trainees should create a new chain of 9,000 jobs between last year and the first half of 2015,’’ he said.
Egbesola noted the challenges militating against the association’s objectives but said it was able to contribute its quota to entrepreneurial development of the country through job creation.
“We look up to the incoming administration after the elections to create a more enabling environment through provision of energy, good transportation network — sea, rail and road.
“Good transportation, in particular needs to be focused on to reduce the cost of doing business and eliminate waste of farm produce between farms and industries,’’ he said.
Egbesola said the incoming administration should implement government’s policies, especially as the SMEs’ which, he described as “the driving force of the economy and visible growth’’.
On the N220 billion funds by the government, he said that none of the association’s members had been able to access any loan yet, adding that many of the applications were at various stages of being processed.
“We are trusting that the government keeps to its pledge of job creation, that whatever happens even after the general election, there will be continuity of laudable programmes,’’ Egbesola said.
