The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, SMEDAN, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, are set to strengthen collaboration on youth empowerment, cybersecurity, financial literacy and responsible entrepreneurship.
Director-General of SMEDAN, Mr. Charles Odii, and the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, gave the indication during a courtesy visit by Odii to the Commission’s chairman in Abuja.
Both institutions agreed to deepen collaboration on areas of knowledge sharing and joint capacity-building initiatives, including the possible integration of relevant components of the ICSS curriculum into EFCC cybersecurity training programmes.
According to a statement by the Head of Corporate Affairs Unit at SMEDAN, Moshood Lawal, the partnership will also explore EFCC’s participation in relevant SMEDAN training programmes, particularly those designed to improve awareness of cybersecurity, financial responsibility and ethical business practices among entrepreneurs and young Nigerians.
Speaking during the engagement, Olukoyede said the EFCC had followed SMEDAN’s youth-focused interventions with keen interest, describing the agency’s empowerment and capacity-building programmes as significant efforts to equip young Nigerians with skills and opportunities capable of transforming their lives.
He stressed the importance of such interventions in helping young people become productive participants in the economy and steering them away from negative activities that could have adverse consequences for the nation’s economy and image.
The collaboration is expected to strengthen the link between enterprise development and financial crime prevention by equipping young entrepreneurs with the knowledge required to establish and grow businesses while operating within the law and protecting their ventures in an increasingly digital economy.
On his part, Odii stressed the importance of inter-agency partnerships in advancing the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly in addressing the needs of Nigeria’s rapidly growing youth population.
He said youth empowerment requires a holistic approach combining skills development, access to opportunities, mentorship, digital knowledge, financial literacy and responsible enterprise practices.
