The Katsina State Micro, Small And Medium Enterprises (KTS-MSMEs) council is to consider the establishment of border market and export warehouse to facilitate exportation of made in Katsina/Nigeria products.

This was part of the resolutions at the end of the state MSMEs council’s two-day retreat held in Kano State.

According to a communique at the end of the retreat, which was made available to newsmen on Tuesday, other resolutions and action plans include harmonisation of data on finance and beneficiaries of funding interventions in the state, which should be conducted as soon as possible.

The council also resolved that all agencies in the state responsible for training and capacity building should work in concert with Business Membership Organisations (BMOs) to provide sector specific training for Entrepreneurs in the state, and that training and capacity building for BMOs and other form of skills upgrade for members should be given priority attention going forward.

It added that training Needs Analysis is to be submitted by the BMOs to the MSME Council for consideration and that the council needs to deepen Stakeholder engagement through town hall meetings and mass media on available financial windows and regulatory matters for MSMEs in the state.

The Katsina MSMEs Council is to emulate the National in terms of composition of the Technical Implementation Committee by adopting a co-chair from the private sector while research for development is to be emphasised upon by leveraging on the educational institutions in the state.

Also, as part of the resolution and action plans was that the Katsina MSMEs Council should Commission Needs Assessment of Skills gap in the state and follow up with training Provision of Business Development Services (BDS) to increase the capacities of NMSMEs operators as well as harmonise all the Skills Training Centres in the State.

While the MSME Council is to leverage on commercial and undertaking officers at the LGAs and Business Information Centres for provision of awareness and support for Nano MSMEs to fill the financial literacy gaps, the various BMOs should appraise their financial state and the attendant gaps, and make report available to the council for possible considerations.

The MSME Council is to consider the completion of Laudable projects embarked upon by the State, just as it noted that government that has direct bearing on MSMEs should be encouraged (Common Facility Centre for MSMEs, Formation of an SPV, Integrated Textile and Garment, Establishment of Power Sub-stations and Water Supply, Special Agro Processing Zones (SAPZ) and others).

At the retreat, issues and considerations during several brainstorming sessions, presentations and exhaustive deliberations on the ways to make the MSMEs Council more efficient and responsive to prevailing exigencies of the MSMEs sub-sector in the state, centred on strategies that can hasten the growth and development of the MSMEs sector in the state.

The presentation on the reviewed National Policy on MSMEs set the tone for the proceedings leading to the formation of four syndicate groups, who eventually deliberated and made robust contributions on the ways to grow the Kano, Small and Medium Enterprises (NMSMEs) Sub sector in Katsina State.

The retreat then discussed extensively the newly reviewed National Policy on MSME and implementable milestones in the state.

It also discussed and evaluated the need for continuous training and capacity building programmes to re-position the BMOs for effective service delivery to their members.

As part of the brainstorming session was deliberation on myriads of challenges faced in the MSMEs development programmes in the state, and ways to make future implementations more impactful, by deepening participation and improving on the various programmes content.

In attendance at the two-day retreat, were the Deputy Governor of Katsina State and Chairman of the Katsina State MSMEs Council, Qs Mannir Yakubu and the council members, SMEDAN facilitators, and members of the press.

The 2021 Katsina State Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (KTS-MSMEs) Council retreat provided the platform to familiarise with, and subject to open review, the new National Policy on MSMEs and strategizes on ways to effectively provide effective and efficient service delivery to grow the MSMEs sub-sector in Katsina State.

The communique was adopted by the state deputy Governor and chairman of the Katsina State MSME, Council Permanent Secretary to the Office of the Deputy Governor, and the Permanent Secretary Katsina State Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Investment Ministry of Women Affairs.

It was also adopted by the DG Katsina Investment Promotion Agency, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, National Association of Small Scale Industrialists, National Agency for Food Drugs And Control, Raw Material Research Development Council, Corporate Affairs Commission, Nigeria Export Promotion Council, National Association of Micro Finance Banks, Katsina Traders Association, Women Economic Empowerment and Youth Development Organisation.