James Emejo in Abuja
Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said they are working on a joint framework to equip young entrepreneurs with cybersecurity, financial literacy and ethical business skills as part of efforts to strengthen the integrity of the country’s growing digital economy.
The proposed collaboration will link enterprise development with financial crime prevention, with both agencies agreeing to deepen knowledge sharing, capacity building and youth-focused interventions.
The agreement emerged from a meeting between the Director-General of SMEDAN, Charles Odii, and the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, in Abuja.
Under the proposed arrangement, relevant components of SMEDAN’s ICSS curriculum could be incorporated into the EFCC’s cybersecurity training programmes, while the anti-graft agency is expected to participate in selected SMEDAN training programmes for entrepreneurs and young Nigerians.
The initiative is expected to expose beneficiaries to the risks associated with operating businesses in an increasingly digital environment, including cybersecurity threats, financial misconduct and unethical business practices.
In a statement, Olukoyede said the EFCC had followed SMEDAN’s youth-focused interventions, particularly its capacity-building and empowerment programmes, describing them as important to creating productive opportunities for young Nigerians.
He stressed the importance of equipping youths with legitimate economic opportunities and skills capable of steering them away from activities that could undermine the country’s economy and international image.
The planned partnership therefore seeks to move youth empowerment beyond access to business opportunities by incorporating safeguards that could help entrepreneurs operate legally and protect their businesses from digital and financial risks.
For SMEDAN, the collaboration reflects the need for a broader approach to enterprise development as more young Nigerians participate in digitally enabled businesses.
Odii said government institutions needed to work together to deliver on the objectives of the Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly in addressing the needs of the country’s expanding youth population.
He said effective youth empowerment required more than technical skills, stressing the importance of combining training with access to opportunities, mentorship, digital knowledge, financial literacy and responsible enterprise practices.
The agencies are expected to explore specific areas of joint training and institutional support as discussions on the collaboration progress.
The partnership seeks to create a closer connection between the government’s efforts to promote entrepreneurship and its wider campaign against financial crimes, particularly among young people increasingly engaged in online commerce and digital businesses.