The President of the Organised Private Sector of Nigeria, Hajiya Saratu Iya Aliyu, has said it will work with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment as the country struggles to reboot the economy.
Iya Aliyu who is also the President, Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, said this during a virtual meeting held with the Minister of Industry, Trade and Industry, Otunba Niyi Adebayo.
While she thanked the Minister for the opportunity given to the private sector to present its positions and requests, she added that the present situation presented an opportunity to diversify the economy and make it more self-reliant.
She called for closer ties between the OPSN and the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, especially as the country struggles to save and reboot the economy.
She said the present situation “truly presents an opportunity to diversify the economy and make it more self-reliant, and steps must be taken towards that goal.”
The Minister on his part, assured the OPSN of government’s support in the bid to boost the economy.
Other private sector organisations at the event were Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises and Nigerian Association of Small Scale Industrialists.
Adebayo added that that the ministry would support and “work closely with the private sector as government works to reboot the economy in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
He noted that the private sector had an important role to play in the bid to restart the economy and assured that the ministry would work closely with the private sector in this regard.
He announced that a series of stimulus packages would be made available soon to assist operators in the private sector.
These, he said included a N50bn survival funds for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises; and a N15bn guaranteed uptake scheme to save 500,000 jobs.
He revealed that under some of these interventions, 40 per cent of the funds would be reserved for women-owned businesses.
