470 Nigerian MSMEs to benefit from UNDP’s small grants

About 470 Micro, Small, and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs), are to benefit from the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF-SGP), being implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the International Trade Facilitators Association, in Nigeria.

The programme, which is being implemented under the ‘Support to Potential and Existing Nature Positive MSMEs (SPENM), is open to individuals and groups of entrepreneurs and innovators across the country that are committed to making a positive impact on both the environment and their communities.

Collins Ezeiruaku, Trade Ambassador, International Trade Facilitators Association (ITFA, gave this hint while, flagging off a two-day workshop for participants in the Northwest Geo-Political Zone, which opened in the commercial city of Kano, on Wednesday.

Addressing the participants, who are drawn from the NGO/CSO community, and representatives of the Federal and State MDAS in the zone, Ezeiruaku, said that the workshop, which is designed to hold in the 36 states across of Nigeria, is targeted at about 470 MSMEs in the country.

“We are here in respect of the Support to Potential and Established Nature -Positive MEMEs in Nigeria, which we have been holding in the 36 states across Nigeria. We see things happening; a lot of NGOs are doing a lot of good work impacting the communities, particularly the environment. Once they do not have any grant funding, they fold up, they stop working, despite the good work they are doing.

“The GEF SDP came out with ways of supporting these NGOs, and we called them potential MSMEs, so that they are able to sustain their programmes beyond the grant funding period. We are looking at the ways to help to grow their operations and businesses, so that they can leave something behind.

“A lot of Nigerian businesses died with their owners, so we are thinking is it possible to help them with the resources, tools required, to ensure that they can move businesses beyond one generation, so we are empowered by the global facility small grant programme been implemented by the UNDP to go around the country, I mean the six geo-political zones to carry out this pilot programme. The target is 470 participants, that is why we are here today in the city of Kano”, he stated.

Ezeiruaku, explained that the programme is out to address environmental challenges, spurred by climatic change, noting that the issue of addressing environmental challenge sustainably cannot be done without addressing the issue of resource.

“One of the ways of addressing this, is through SPENM, which stands on three pillars, namely: People, Planet, and Profits. One we want to see how we can make everybody participating in this programme more profitable, two we want how to give more access to local and international market, because a lot of them have challenge while trying to access international market.

“Three, we want move the participating MSMEs towards international certification because we do not think we have enough Nigerian entities that have access to international certification that can make them to be internationally competitive, you know the world has sunk, the internet has sunk the world, and if we continue to think that we are not affected we will loss out in the entire value chain.

“So, empowering all these small businesses we call MSMEs, and positioning them for the international market, through standardisation, through certification, and through access to the market, is what we are working on.

“We are partnering with both the Federal and the state governments in this regard. We are working with the State Committees on Export Promotion, and every state, based on the federal programme- One state, One Product, each state has one product that they have a comparative advantage in producing.

“We have written to each of the state governors, that because of this programme, nominate for us those they want to participate in the programme. So, the states have sent in their nominees through their state committees on export promotion.

“We have the federal Government also sending in its nominee, which is the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, and we have direct access to business community, direct access to NGOs that have been supported by global environment partners”, he further explained.

The trade ambassador advised people interested in the programme to access information about how they can participate on the ITFA through their handset device.

“My call to the general public is that there a lot on information on this online, on how to move things forward, we should not just be holding our handsets, and doing nothing in with it, we should use it to access information that help advance our social and economic good.

“We must go back to the deployment communal solution finding method. Every participant that are coming into the programme to knows that the specific products that the leverage upon, and the interesting thing is that the business models to be adopted that work for every participant.

“We have tested it, we have purified it, and each participant, before the conclusion of this programme, we will develop their specific local solution, which we are going to review, and we are going to pass it to the mentors that we are going to attach them to. We do not want a disconnection between the workshop and the practical solution”, he said.

In his opening remarks Malam Sidi earlier said that the program was a unique and powerful initiative being implemented by ITFA, with funding from the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF-SGP) and expert implementation by the UNDP.

“Our Core Vision: Beyond the Grant – Towards Sustainable Social Enterprise. You are here today because you represent the future of sustainable enterprise in Nigeria. We understand that many of you may have experience with grant funding, and it’s crucial to see this program, and any grants you may receive not as an endpoint, but as catalytic funding.

“This is an opportunity – a strategic springboard – designed to help you transform, grow, or pivot your businesses into thriving, self-sustaining social enterprises. We want to equip you to build models that generate profit while addressing critical environmental and social challenges, ensuring your impact continues long after any grant period concludes.

“This program is about building lasting resilience and independent success. What You Will Gain from This Program: Over the course of these sessions, we will dive deep into practical strategies that will equip you with the knowledge and tools to:

“1. Create Robust, Sustainable Business Models: Learn how to design and implement business models that are not only economically viable but also deeply integrated with nature-positive practices, ensuring your operations benefit the environment. 2. Master Fair Trade Principles and Certification: Understand the fundamentals and requirements of fair-trade certification, particularly the Fair for Life (FFL) Certification.

“This knowledge will be invaluable in positioning your products for ethical markets. 3. Apply Fair Trade for Competitive Advantage: Discover how to integrate fair trade principles into your daily operations”, he recounted.

Speaking to BusinessDay on the sidelines of the workshop, Rose Agbo, who is the programme Support to the National Coordinator, UNDP GEF-SGP, said that the program was a unique and powerful initiative being implemented by ITFA, with funding from the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF-SGP) and expert implementation by the UNDP.

“This isn’t just about compliance; it’s about leveraging ethical practices to access new markets, build consumer trust, and gain a significant competitive edge, all while making a tangible positive environmental impact. 4. Gain Visibility on the ITFA Directory: Your nature-positive, social impact business will have the opportunity to be listed on the upcoming ITFA directory – a dedicated platform designed”, she stated.