The Lagos Chamber of  Commerce & Industry (LCCI) has hailed the activities of Micro Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) as the engine of growth for any economy.

LCCI president, Babatunde Paul Ruwase said the sector drives 64 per cent of employment in the country including providing everyday products and services to both large corporate and final consumers.

He said though government has demonstrated a good level of sensitivity to the plight of this critical sector there is need to do more. He spoke on Wednesday in Lagos at the annual Seminar of the SME Group of LCCI on the theme “Positioning MSMEs for Development and Global Competitiveness”.

He called on government to refocus attention on non-oil sector where SMEs participate more. He said: ‘’We join other stakeholders in calling on government to refocus attention on non-oil sector where the SMEs participate more. I strongly believe that SMEs is the most viable platform for realizing our made in Nigeria aspiration. This requires dedicated and sustained intervention in the sector through various reforms and policies”. Ruwase added that with the right environment and provision of needed infrastructure, Nigerian entrepreneurs will fully contribute to the growth of the economy.

Small & Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) Director General, Mr. Dikko Radda who spoke on “The role of SMEDAN in positioning SMEs for global competitiveness”, asked for a dedicated SME Development Bank to address the peculiar needs of operators in the sector.