As the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) officially presents Practicing License to the first batch of 150 Business Development Service Providers in Nigeria to boost the promotion and development of MSMEs in Nigeria, Dr. Peter Ayim the Principal Consultant and Chief Executive Officer of a leading Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development consulting firm in Nigeria, MSME Business Development Services Limited happens to be one the 150 Certified and Licensed National Business Development Service Providers by the Agency.
Dr. Ayim received his Business Development Service Provider Practicing License on the occasion of the presentation of Practicing License the first batch of 150 Business Development Service Providers by the Federal Government of Nigeria in an event held in Abuja.
Speaking to MSME Africa in a recent interview, Dr. Ayim stated that Business Development Service which refers to the provision of a wide range of non-financial services to MSMEs had remained the critical missing link in the promotion and development of MSMEs in Nigeria.
Dr. Ayim stated that Business development services (BDS) is the wide range of non-financial services used by entrepreneurs to help them improve the performance of their businesses, facilitate access to markets and finance as well as the ability to compete in the market place and Business Development Service Providers (BDSPs) help MSMEs to overcome growth barriers and positions them to unlock and unleash their potentials of driving innovations, generating wealth, creating jobs and contributing to the development of the nation’s economy.
He maintained that following the institutionalization and regulation of the practice of Business Development Service (BDS) as an integral part of MSME development will herald a whole new paradigm to the promotion and development of MSME in Nigeria.
According to Dr. Ayim, while access to finance remains a critical imperative for MSMEs to scale and contribute to the development of the nation’s economy, the difficulty of accessing by MSMEs is largely due to the general structural weaknesses and operational efficiencies of most MSMEs a reason he said is responsible for why Financial Service Providers are not favourably disposed to extending financial services to MSMEs considering them as high risk borrowers.
MSMEs he said, the only way to facilitate ease of access to finance for MSMEs is to through the provision of innovative non-financial services that help to strengthen the internal structures, systems, processes and operational procedures to gain the attention and confidence of Financial Service Providers.
Excited Dr. Ayim informed MSME Africa that given the emerging development, his Organization has been empowered to leverage the Practicing License to contribute to the promotion and development of MSMEs in Nigeria through the seamless delivery of its innovative private sector led, market oriented and demand driven Business Development Service solutions to help struggling MSMEs to grow and expand their businesses
