‎Cassona’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr John Chigbu, at the company’s third anniversary in Lagos, noted that improving Africa’s diagnostic capacity was critical to enable prompt, accurate diagnosis and treatment of diseases for improved patient outcomes.

According to him, the plan is to make healthcare delivery affordable and accessible for more citizens.

Chigbu emphasised that Cassona’s mission extends beyond equipment supply to include building healthcare ecosystems through hospital construction, offering financing programmes, providing installation and maintenance, and developing local talent with training and recruitment initiatives.

‎He noted that many African health workers lack hands-on experience with modern machines, which Cassona aims to bridge through structured training and continuous support.

“The company has also begun building diagnostic centres and fast-tracked hospitals to help private practitioners deliver quality care without the heavy financial burden of acquiring equipment outright.

“We bring equipment at more affordable rates. You pay 20 per cent upfront and spread the balance over 24 months, while we maintain it so it never fails.

“We will also train doctors, radiologists, sonographers and provide backup power systems to keep equipment running during power cuts,” he said.

‎Having first tested its model in Ghana, Chigbu said Cassona has installed over 140 machines in three years without a single breakdown — a feat he attributes to strict maintenance systems and trust in healthcare providers’ professionalism.

Chigbu noted that Cassona’s operations supported by the U.S. Embassy aims to improve access to quality healthcare, boost economic growth by creating jobs, and foster sustainable development for robust health infrastructure in Nigeria, and Africa.

Also, Prof. Enoch Uche, Abia State Commissioner for Health, called for improved public-private partnerships to accelerate universal healthcare in Nigeria.

Uche pledged the state’s commitment to partner with Cassona to drive quality, accessible and affordable healthcare, adding that Abia State is driving a healthcare revolution.

He disclosed that the state had commenced construction in its primary, secondary, and tertiary hospitals, noting that 50 primary health care centres were functionalised within two weeks.

Similarly, Dr Kemi Ogunyemi, Special Adviser on Health to the Lagos State Governor, said strategic public-private partnerships are crucial to accelerate Lagos THEMES+ health agenda.

‎Ogunyemi noted that partnering with companies such as Cassona would ensure better diagnostics, better treatment outcomes, and improved trust in the public health system.

“We know as a government that we cannot do this alone. So, we need people like this to help us get to where we want to be, which is access to affordable, quality healthcare,” she said.

She emphasised that access to high-tech imaging equipment would ensure the health system tackles a broad range of diseases with precision and reliability.

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Mercy Corps’ Country Director, Mr Ndubisi Anyanwu, speaking at the Girls Improving Resilience Through Livelihood and Health (GIRL-H) 2.0 Close Out Programme on Saturday in Lagos, emphasised the need for sustained commitment to empowering young people.

He highlighted the importance of creating a society where all individuals, regardless of gender, have equal opportunities to thrive.

The GIRL-H 2.0 programme, is an initiative to boost the socioeconomic resilience of adolescent girls, boys, and young people in Lagos State.

Anyanwu noted that the programme built on the successes of GIRL-H 1.0, focusing on three key pillars: financial inclusion, social behaviour change communication (SBCC), and public-private partnerships (PPP).

He said the programme, which targeted vulnerable individuals in five local government areas, Alimosho, Kosofe, Somolu, Ojo, and Epe, empowered participants with critical skills and resources to overcome societal challenges.

Anyanwu lauded the participants for demonstrating remarkable growth and resilience, noting that thousands of young people acquired valuable skills in financial literacy, business development, and social resilience.

He also acknowledged the role of public-private partnerships in creating sustainable livelihoods and fostering community engagement, which promoted gender equity.

Anyanwu urged private sector partners to deepen their investments in youth empowerment initiatives and appealed to communities to take ownership of the progress made to ensure the sustainability of the achievements.

Anyanwu was represented by Mr Bidemi Olukowajo, Director of Ethics and Assurance, Mercy Corps.

The event featured product exhibitions by GIRL-H 2.0 participants and the presentation of cheques to winners of the Business Scale-up initiative across the five LGAs.

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Ogundoyin said this during the inauguration of the Yaba branch of Sooyah Bistro, on Saturday in Lagos.

According to her, the current economic challenges demand strategic innovation, collaboration, and focus on customer retention through improved service delivery to thrive.

She said Sooyah Bistro, a fast-rising, quick-service restaurant chain, which started in 2018 with a startup capital of N20,000, continues to witness tremendous growth.

Ogundoyin emphasised that the current economic challenges facing many businesses include limited access to funds, high interest rates, Naira depreciation, among others.

She, however, said many businesses still thrived by establishing solid connections through community engagement and leveraging their network to boost patronage of products and services.

Ogundoyin said the restaurant had expanded into 12 outlets as it embarked on a mission of redefining African and international cuisine through the infusion of suya (barbecue) to create nutritious meals.

“Sooyah Bistro’s expansion to Yaba is another dream come true and mission accomplished, we are in the middle of Lagos Metropolitan.

“Yaba is a thriving locality, it’s somewhere we’ve had our eyes on for years. We wanted somewhere very strategic, and we now have a place right on Herbert Macaulay Way.

“We are ready to further explore the business-friendly environment as an indigenous and authentic brand celebrating culture and cuisine with excellent service delivery,” she said.

On hygiene, Ogundoyin emphasised that maintaining high hygienic practices and quality control standards across restaurant outlets was the cornerstone of her business success.

She restated her commitment to continue to work with her teams to provide nutritious menu options that meet various lifestyle choices.

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This year’s intervention prioritises the economic recovery of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) and young African entrepreneurs, following the Covid-19 disruption to economic activities.

To address the unique challenges arising from the pandemic, lift millions out of poverty and create sustainable employment across the continent, the Foundation’s Entrepreneurship Programme will empower 1,000 young African entrepreneurs, selected from the 2020 cohort.  The Foundation will also open applications to an additional 2,400 young entrepreneurs in 2021, in collaboration with global partners.

The Tony Elumelu Foundation, which celebrated ten years of impact in 2020, is empowering a new generation of African entrepreneurs, through the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme.  Successful applicants receive a world-class business training, mentorship, non-refundable seed capital up to $5,000, and global networking opportunities.

The Programme is open to entrepreneurs across Africa, both new start-ups and existing young businesses, operating in any sector.

CEO of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Ifeyinwa Ugochukwu stated, “The Tony Elumelu Foundation now more than ever is demonstrating our commitment to unleashing the potential of young African entrepreneurs, the key to Africa’s long-term economic transformation.

“The pandemic has created challenges across the continent, but we know that with the Tony Elumelu Foundation’s tried and tested Programme, we can execute the largest Covid-19 economic recovery plan for African SMEs and break the cycle of poverty in Africa.”

The Tony Elumelu Foundation’s $100million Entrepreneurship Programme, launched in 2015 to empower 10,000 entrepreneurs over 10 years, is now entering its 7th year and has empowered to date, over 9,000 young African entrepreneurs from 54 African countries.

Prospective applicants should apply on the digital networking hub for African entrepreneurs, www.tefconnect.com.

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Emefiele said this while speaking with newsmen after signing ceremony of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with some critical stakeholders at the sub sector in Abuja on Tuesday.

He explained that the intervention needed on cotton farming and ginneries alone required close to N50 billion.

He said the entire value chain did not end at cotton and ginneries, of course there was textile as well as garments.

The governor disclosed that some of the garment factories had also come asking for some facilities for them to retool to do more of sewing of these garments.

“It is not about the money, the most important is about the fact that we seize this opportunity to create jobs.

“We seize this opportunity for the industries that moribund and dead to come alive again in Nigeria and by extension helps to grow the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.

“We are happy that we are effectively taking control of the entire CTG value chain, from the production of Cotton to the finished products which are textiles and garments.

“CBN and Bank of Industry are ready to finance this sub sector to help purchase modern technologies to enable them produce the required quality products” he said.

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Dr Dikko Radda, the Director-General of SMEDAN, made the assertion during the September Breakfast Meeting of the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce (NACC) in Lagos on Thursday.

The theme of the meeting is: “Setting new standards in sustainable SME sector development in Nigeria”.

Radda said that the ability of Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) to compete in domestic and global markets was a key determinant for growth and job creation should be therefore a political priority for governments of most countries.

He said that the main obstacles faced by MSMEs in international trade were linked to compliance to different regulations and standards applied to products and services.

“Products made to standard can have much more credibility which builds a long-lasting positive reputation that proves vital when moving to international market.

“ISO standards can help small businesses increase their efficiency by helping to drive down costs and save valuable time and money,’’ Ebuka Ugochukwu, NACC’s Communications Manager, quoted the director-general as saying.

“MSMEs can benefit from the expert knowledge contained in standards and are less likely to make costly mistakes that could spell the difference between success and failure,” Radda said.

He said that to ensure a seamless development of the MSMEs sub-sector in the country, all the challenges confronting the sub- sector must be deliberately and conscientiously addressed.

According to him, policymakers can make standards and regulation work for MSMEs by sensitising them on relevance of standards, and making information on standards and technical regulations accessible to them.

He said that government should also build the capacity of MSMEs to identify and maintain standards in their products and services.

The director-general, who was represented by Mr Monday Ewans, SMEDAN’s Director, Enterprise, Development and Promotion, said that adequate incentives should be provided to drive MSMEs voluntary conformity to standards.

Radda insisted that government should strengthen technical infrastructure.

Chief Oluwatoyin Akomolafe, the President of NACC said that MSMEs undergo great level of challenges, failures and subsequent collapse because of inadequate infrastructure and enabling environment to accelerate their growth.

Akomolafe said that these challenges had hindered the transformation of many MSMEs into large scale business enterprises.

He said that the most worrisome among the challenges was the non-availability of funds, adding that most financial institutions see MSMEs as high risk ventures.

Akomolafe said that the chamber would continue to work with MSMEs toward building their capacity though various human capital development initiatives, provision of linkages for possible funding and access to market.

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Mr Ilan Wolkov, a Consultant with AfDB told our reporter at the inauguration that the disbursement would be done through four branches of the bank in Abuja.

Wolkov, the Team Leader of Frankfurt School of Finance Management said,“this is the official opening of the pilot phase that we are setting up in four branches in Kubwa, Dei-Dei, Mararaba, and Utako’’.

“The fund is meant to specifically fund businesses of SMEs customers, and what is important today is that we are officially signing our first Fortis/ AfDB pilot client under this scheme.

“We believe that funds will greatly increase customer’s experience with possibly larger loans with its flexible conditions for collateral and guarantees.’’

Recall that AfDB and Fortis Micro Finance Bank Plc had in Sept. 2016 signed an agreement for a one billion naira credit facility for onward lending to SMEs operators in the country.

The partnership was meant to boost Nigeria’s private sector development through financing of projects that are strategically aligned to the country’s development agenda.

Also speaking, Mr Adewale Aderounmu, the Executive Director, Development Finance of Fortis reiterated that the fund was to primarily support the development of small businesses in the country.

According to Aderounmu, small businesses are the engine of growth for any economic development both in developing countries and even the developed world.

“So, the AFDB in support of the SMs sector in Nigeria evaluated the bank and deemed it viable to partner with us as our developing partner in developing the SMEs sector in Nigeria.

“Up till now, more than 600 customers have benefited from the AfDB loan and after this event we still expect to disburse a number of additional loans under the SMEs funding from AfDB.’’

On criteria for accessing the fund, Aderounmu said the applicant must already be in business as the fund was not meant for startup but for business owners to take their businesses to the next level.

He noted that the facility was open to both already existing and new customers of the bank.

According to him, the bank has assigned officers who not only market the loan to customers but also ensure that the loans are paid back as at when due.

He said the loan officer or relationship manager as they were being called, were attached to every loan beneficiary to continuously engage the customers to ensure continuity of the business relationship.

A beneficiary of the facility, Mrs Nkiru Nwabueze commended the management of Fortis bank for the good work they had been doing over the years in assisting small businesses in the country.

Nwabueze expressed delight at the facility she was given and urged other customers to develop the culture of borrowing money and paying back when due.

“We should be more honest in doing business with the banks as they are willing to give loans and we need to develop the culture of paying back loans as it is the only way to grow the economy.’’

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He noted the importance of SME’s to the growth of the economy, stating that the current employment rate could be bolstered if SMEs are provided with a conducive ecosystem with which to thrive and this he said, is not only the purview of the government. “While the government is making efforts to increase the ease of doing business in Nigeria, Financial institutions have a significant role to play in supporting SMEs and this is why Keystone Bank is repositioning its GrowBiz Account to create financial options for businesses”.

Mr. Bakare pointed out the importance of SMEs to the development of the nation’s economy noting that they provide a means of employment generation, improvement of local technology, output diversification, development of indigenous entrepreneurship and forward integration with larger-scale industries. “Today in Nigeria, many factors have contributed to the underperformance of micro enterprises and their contributions to economic growth. We at Keystone Bank seek to help bridge the gap by not only providing finance, but by offering financial advisory services and relevant platforms to assist in business growth”.

Keystone Bank has been at the forefront of supporting micro enterprises as it drives economic growth from the grass roots of the society. Recently, the bank in conjunction with the Enugu State Ministry of Commerce & Industry provided support to Micro, Small and Medium scale enterprises within the state as part of an on-going government initiative.

Growbiz account is designed to meet the needs of business owners and organizations; sole proprietors, partnerships & limited liability companies. The product is available in two variants: GrowBiz Gold Account (with minimum balance); GrowBiz Classic Account (without minimum balance). Each variant is broken down into three segments Individuals, SMEs/Traders, Corporates.

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Heritage Bank becomes the lead bank to launch this solution driven application that caters to single and multi-stores integrating all aspects of the retail business, which provide leeway for users of the product to keep stock of inventory.

Fela Ibidapo, the Group Head, Corporate Communications, stated that it was part of the Heritage Bank’s mandate to ensure rapid growth of the bank’s client footprint and overall wallet share.

He explained that MyStocKIT would provide an automated/innovative response to peculiar challenges identified with various retail outlets and collections platform with its preferred ability to integrate exclusively with the bank’s payment systems.

According to him, the product will reduce reliance on paper ledger stock management practices with associated risks, promote positive merchant brand perception serve as a vehicle for market/ business expansion and track all card and cash payments in store.

“The application to be deployed will assist identified and prospective clients in addressing the following key challenges currently being experienced amongst others: cumbersome daily operations due to manual documentation of orders, poor turnaround time in customer service delivery, inaccuracy in stock/ inventory management, inadequate performance reporting across sales points/ stores and remote performance tracking,” he explained.

Ibidapo further explained that the product is available only for Android devices (Phones and Tablets), while to access the application, the user will be required to go to Play store, search for MystocKIT app and download and install.

The bank’s spokesperson, however disclosed that the target market for MyStocKIT include but was not limited to restaurants, corner stores, boutiques, salons, bars & lounges, as the clients would be offered low license and support fees plus price discount for the first 100 customers and free POS or mPos terminal with each licence.

L-R: Ozena Utulu, Team member, Brand Compliance Management, Heritage Bank Plc; Marvis Nkpornwi, Big Brother Naija housemate; Fela Ibidapo, Group Head, corporate Communications and Omobolaji Mogaji, Media Sales Executives at MultiChoice, during the visit of BB Naija 5 Top finalists to Heritage Bank, in Lagos, yesterday.

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Its President, Dr Bassey Edem, gave the commendation on Sunday at the ongoing 2017 Enugu International Trade Fair.

Edem, who was represented by Chief Ndubisi Nworgu, said that the association also acknowledged the efforts of the government in finding solutions to other challenges facing MSMEs.

He said that empowering players in the MSME sector was the fastest way a nation could achieve sustainable economic growth and development.

Edem called on the Federal Government to to sustain its empowerment’s plan for the MSMEs in the bid to rejuvenate these enterprises as stipulated by the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).

The NACCIMA boss said that MSMEs were the largest employers of labour in the country with the prospect of employing more if supported.

“Ninety per cent of Private Sector Operators (OPS) are in the MSME sector; they are also players in the cottage industries.

“They are confronted daily with numerous challenges which include access to fund, multiple taxation, inefficient power supplies and lack of basic knowledge to start and run a good business,’’ he said.

Edem, however, congratulated the Enugu Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ECCIMA) for ensuring the consistency of the Enugu International Trade Fair yearly.

The 10-day fair with the theme “Promoting Nigeria’s Industrial Sector and SMEs for Inclusive and Robust Economy’’ will end on April 10.

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