NBSSI/BAC holds stakeholders meeting in Wa

The Wa Business Advisory Centre (BAC) of the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) has organised a stakeholders meeting to discuss how they could collaborate to create an enabling environment for the development of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) in the municipality. The meeting provided the platform for stakeholders in the business industry and the BAC to discuss and focus on specific areas in the Municipal economy in order to achieve greater performance. It brought together stakeholders including the Regional Coordinating Council, the Municipal Assembly, National Youth Council, Tailors and Dress Makers Association, Ladies/Men Weavers Associations, Smock Designers Association, Youth Entrepreneurship Clubs, physically challenged persons, NGOs, and Community Based Organisations. Addressing the participants at the meeting Mr. Tahiru Mohammed, the Nadowli BAC Head, said MSEs were the backbone of the country's economic development hence, any attempt to empower them to operate effectively would help boost the economy. He said the BACs would provide advisory, counselling and extension services, promote group formation and also strengthen MSE associations by empowering them with the necessary skills to operate. Mr. Mohammed urged MSE owners to make use of the BACs so that they could provide them with the technical expertise as well as linking them to vibrant financial institutions for financial support. Mr. Abdullah Siita Yakubu, Wa BAC Head, mentioned lack of a strategic plan, transparency, comparable basis for further monitoring as well as lack of demand orientation as some of the challenges that confronted the Wa BAC in their quest to render services to their clients. He said plans were now in place for them to operate on the principles of operative, strategic planning, analysis based and objective bound so that in future they could impact on a larger public in order to improve the sustainability of the MSEs.