Benue to establish SME centre to fast track development

Benue Governor, Samuel Ortom, has said that his administration was ready to establish small and medium-scale enterprises development agency to fast track skills acquisition among youths in the state.

He disclosed this on Friday in Makurdi at the closing ceremony of the training of 500 graduands by the National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP).

Ortom noted that it was his administration’s commitment to encourage skills acquisition and promote SMEs in the state that compelled him to send a bill for the establishment of the agency to the state assembly and which had passed second reading.

“It is my conviction that relevant industrial skills is a prerequisite to any society that wants to build a vibrant SMEs sub-sector.

“It is also in recognition of this model that I signed the second phase of NISDP in Abuja with the Director-General of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) few days ago,” he said.