The Director-General of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, Charles Odii, has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening infrastructure and policies that support business growth across Nigeria.
Odii made this known during a working visit to Falcon Chemicals Limited in Ogun State, where he carried out an assessment of the company’s operations as part of efforts to deepen engagement with local enterprises.
He explained that the visit was aimed at understanding the needs of businesses and identifying ways to enhance their productivity and expansion.
“The administration of President Bola Tinubu has taken deliberate steps to improve infrastructure that enables industries to thrive,” Odii said.
“Investments in road networks and port development are already creating better conditions for trade and industrial activities.”
The SMEDAN boss also revealed that the government had disbursed significant financial support to small businesses in recent years.
“Over ₦200 billion has been made available to nano, small, and medium-scale enterprises in the form of grants,” he stated. “These funds are designed to stimulate growth and strengthen businesses across different sectors.”
Despite these interventions, Odii expressed concern about the low level of participation among entrepreneurs, attributing it to a lack of trust in government programmes.
“Many business owners are still hesitant,” he noted. “There are funds available, but people are not coming forward to access them, often because they doubt the process.”
He added that even beneficiaries of such schemes are reluctant to share their experiences publicly.
“Those who have received support rarely speak about it, and sometimes we have to publish beneficiaries’ names to demonstrate that these opportunities are real,” he said.
Odii emphasized that proper registration with SMEDAN remains a key requirement for accessing government support.
“Once a business is registered with us, it becomes eligible to benefit from our programmes and services,” he explained.
On the issue of insecurity affecting enterprises, he said the agency has been facilitating stronger collaboration between business owners and security agencies.
“We recognise the security challenges businesses face, and we are working to ensure entrepreneurs can easily connect with relevant security agencies when needed,” he added.
In his remarks, the Managing Director of Falcon Chemicals Limited, Babatunde Adefarati, described the visit as a morale booster for the company.
“We appreciate this engagement; it encourages both management and staff,” Adefarati said. “Our ambition is to meet local demand and eventually expand into export markets.”
He disclosed that the company still relies heavily on imported raw materials.
“Currently, about 70 per cent of our raw materials are sourced from abroad,” he said.
Adefarati further revealed that the firm has only tapped a small portion of its production capacity.
“We have only explored about five per cent of our installed capacity,” he added. “However, plans are underway to scale up operations and make a stronger impact in the paint and chemicals industry.”
