The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have agreed to strengthen collaboration on youth empowerment, cybersecurity, capacity development and responsible entrepreneurship.
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday by the Head, Corporate Affairs Unit, SMEDAN, Moshood Lawal, following a courtesy visit by the agency’s Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Charles Odii, to the EFCC Executive Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, in Abuja.
According to the statement, the EFCC chairman noted that the commission had followed with keen interest SMEDAN’s youth-focused interventions, describing them as significant efforts towards equipping young Nigerians with opportunities and skills that could positively transform their lives.
“The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are set to deepen institutional collaboration, with a focus on youth empowerment, cybersecurity, capacity development and responsible entrepreneurship,” the statement partly reads.
The statement quoted Olukoyede as particularly acknowledging the agency’s growing focus on youth development through capacity-building and empowerment schemes.
He described the interventions as important contributions to equipping young Nigerians with the knowledge and opportunities required to become productive participants in the economy.
The statement quoted him as saying the initiatives would ensure young Nigerians did not “tow” the path of negative vices that had an “unsavory impact” on the country’s economy and image.
According to the statement, the two chief executives agreed during the meeting to strengthen collaboration through knowledge sharing and joint capacity-building initiatives.
It said a key area of agreement was the proposed infusion of relevant components of the ICSS curriculum into the EFCC’s cybersecurity training programmes.
The statement added that the two institutions also agreed to explore the participation of the EFCC in relevant SMEDAN training programmes, particularly those that could strengthen awareness of cybersecurity, financial responsibility and ethical business practices among entrepreneurs and young people.
It stated that the collaboration was expected to create a stronger bridge between enterprise development and financial crime prevention.
“This will ensure that young entrepreneurs are equipped not only to start and grow businesses, but also to understand the importance of operating within the law and protecting their businesses in an increasingly digital economy,” the statement said.
Speaking during the engagement, Odii emphasised the importance of partnerships among government institutions in delivering the mandate of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to Nigerians, particularly the country’s rapidly growing youth population.
According to the statement, he noted that empowering young people required a holistic approach that combined skills, access to opportunities, mentorship, digital knowledge, financial literacy and responsible enterprise practices.
