The North Central Development Commission (NCDC) has announced plans to collaborate with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) to drive entrepreneurship, job creation, and industrial growth across the North Central region.
The partnership was proposed during a courtesy visit by the NCDC management team, led by its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Cyril Yiltsen Tsenyil (Fnca), to the SMEDAN headquarters in Abuja. The team was received by SMEDAN’s Director General, Mr. Charles Odii.
Dr. Tsenyil said the visit aimed to explore potential areas of collaboration through which the newly established Commission could leverage SMEDAN’s institutional capacity and experience to harness the North Central region’s vast human and material resources.
He stressed that the partnership would focus on tackling major regional challenges such as unemployment, poverty, and youth restiveness, while promoting innovation-driven enterprises.
“We believe that with SMEDAN’s experience and our shared commitment to regional development, we can address issues such as limited access to finance, poor organisational structures, inadequate power supply, and low human capital development in the North Central zone,” Dr. Tsenyil said.
In his response, Mr. Odii reaffirmed SMEDAN’s readiness to work closely with NCDC through its existing programmes and new joint initiatives.
He identified several programmes that could serve as collaboration platforms, including cluster entrepreneurship projects, industrial development centres, agribusiness extension services, specialized skills acquisition schemes, and enterprise talent hunts.
“SMEDAN operates within NCDC’s jurisdiction and is eager to align efforts for sustainable development. We will assign dedicated officers to coordinate with the Commission to deepen this partnership,” Odii stated.
The visit also included a guided tour of SMEDAN’s cluster development facilities, where the NCDC delegation assessed infrastructure that could support the collaboration’s objectives.
The partnership is expected to enhance regional competitiveness, support small and medium enterprises, and accelerate inclusive growth across the six states of the North Central region.
— North Central Development Commission (NCDC) Media
