Get Guardian on GoogleThe FATE Institute, an arm of the FATE Foundation has announced date for its 12th Policy Dialogue Series on Entrepreneurship.
While announcing the date at a press conference in Lagos, the organisers said the programme will hold on Thursday, November 19, at the Ecobank Pan African Centre, with policymakers, private sector leaders and ecosystem stakeholders expected to discuss ideas that will foster sustainable entrepreneurship in Nigeria and advance policies that strengthen the country’s entrepreneurship ecosystem.
The dialogue, with the theme: Powering MSME Productivity: Unlocking Access to Energy, Talent, and Finance, will seek to identify practical actions that institutions can collectively pursue to strengthen the productivity of Nigerian enterprises.
Speaking at the briefing, the Executive Director of FATE Foundation, Ayomide Akindolie-Igwe, said entrepreneurship is critical in driving the fabric of Nigeria’s economy, adding that Nigeria cannot realise its aspirations of a $1tr economy without powering entrepreneurs.
Akindolie-Igwe stated that the organisation has through its research identify key blockers to growth for businesses in Nigeria. She noted that lack of access to finance, talent and energy stifle the growth of businesses in Nigeria.
He added that this year’s dialogue draws from the insights of the organisation’s annual report (State of Entrepreneurship Report) to know how Nigeria can power MSME productivity by unlocking access to finance, energy, and talent.
According to the Head, Policy and Stakeholder Mobilisation, of the FATE Institute, Oluwatimilehin Deinde Adedeji, entrepreneurship is the bedrock of the Nigerian economy. He added that the annual Policy Dialogue Series has, for over a decade, evolved to be a national convening that sits critical stakeholders for conversations around entrepreneurship in Nigeria.
“The focus of this year has been flashing at us for about five years running now in our State of entrepreneurship report which we launch annually. We’ll be doing that as well this year, next week Thursday, November 19th.” Adedeji added that the constraints that businesses face ( energy, finance and talent) have remained at the core of conversations.
On her part, the Member, 2026 PDS Technical Committee/ SSA on Strategic Communications, Office of the Minister of State for Industry, Mrs Ifeoma Williams, said the government should not be in the business of doing business, but that it should enable business and ensure that the environment is conducive to business.
“We cannot become a $1tr economy if we don’t begin to consume what we produce. Now, when government is not in the business of doing business, it means that industrialisation can only happen through enterprise development. And this is what the PDS is trying to achieve,” she said.
