In Nigeria’s policy environment for its over 40m Micro and Small Medium Enterprises, MSMEs must focus on unlocking their productivity and competitiveness, achieving scale and supporting socio-economic activities in the country. Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, Founder and CEO of Human Capital Africa, made this point as a keynote speaker at the 5^th Caladium Lagos SME Bootcamp. 

She stressed the need for MSMEs to integrate knowledge, partnerships and structure, which will help them achieve sustainability policies geared toward removing barriers to MSME growth. Ezekwesili commended the Co-Convener of the Bootcamp, Mr. Ayo Bankole Akintujoye, for providing a platform that addresses the challenges of MSMEs. She was confident that the small businesses would be able to access technical skills, another critical component for their growth. 

In his opening address Mr. Ayo Bankole Akintujoye, Co-Convener of Caladium Lagos SME Bootcamp, said the event was a pivot for democratizing access to professional services for MSMEs.

“Our goal is to position MSMEs for investments, support them through capacity building and equip them with the ability to manage stakeholders.” 

In his remark, the Co-Convener of Caladium Lagos SME Bootcamp, Slim Durojaiye, described the event as an avenue to give back to society by empowering entrepreneurs who are economic agents. 

The event featured a presentation of the newly launched ‘FedhaGap digital platform. It also had three plenary sessions, which discussed ‘How SMEs can structure their finances for growth and investment opportunities’, ‘Effective tools available for SMEs to leverage for growth’ and ‘Effectively managing multiple stakeholders in a complex operating environment’.