To provide a viable ecosystem to get more Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to the digital space, the Edo State Government and private partners have agreed to deploy tested platforms to encourage small businesses to bring their businesses online. This was agreed during a webinar organised by the Edo State Investment Promotion Office (ESIPO), which was supported by OZE, an international digital business outfit. The programme featured eleven experts in digital economy, drawn from around the world including the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Ghana.
The Permanent Secretary, Edo Ministry of Wealth Creation, Cooperatives and Employment, Mr. Joel Edionwe, noted that the essence of the programme is to further explore how to leverage the opportunities provided by the digital economy for businesses, adding that the Governor is very interested in ideas that will grow the state’s economy. According to him: “This meeting is to see how we can further leverage on these opportunities using technology to drive our businesses. I want to assure you that Mr. Governor is interested in this. Every idea that will emerge from this meeting will help us to grow our economy, drive SMEs’ development and of course, develop key initiatives that will enable us play in this space”
The Managing Director, Edo State Investment Promotion Office (ESIPO), Mr. Kelvin Uwaibi, who facilitated the webinar, noted that Edo State is open for businesses and the state has a youthful population, stating that with the available digital infrastructures in place, there is no doubt that Edo will migrate all businesses to the digital economy. According to him, “Edo is open for business. We have the required digital infrastructure in place to drive growth. We have a partnership with Decagon to train 15000 young persons on programming so that any investor that comes into the state will get the desired skills to operate with.”
