WORLD MSME DAY 2022
Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (MSME) Day 2022 was observed globally on 27 June 2022. The UN announced the theme of World MSME Day 2022 as “Resilience and Rebuilding: MSMEs for sustainable Development” to focus attention on the pledge to leverage the full potential of MSMEs, rescue the sustainable Development goals and build a more prosperous and just world for all.
World MSME Day was first marked by the United Nations General Assembly in its 74th Plenary on 6 April 2017. The decision globally to observe World MSME Day came after the International Council for Small Business (ICSB) 2016 World Conference declaration on the urgent need to recognize the MSMEs role in global development. The UN later designated 27 June as World MSME Day. According to the United Nations, MSMEs accounts for 90 percent of global businesses, 70 percent of employment and 50 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) worldwide.
In Nigeria, MSMEs are defined as enterprises employing less than 200 persons. MSMEs are comprised of micro enterprises which are defined as enterprises employing less 10 persons, small enterprises as employing 10-49 persons and medium enterprises as employing 50-199 persons. The 2021 MSME Survey Report, jointly published by the Small & Medium Enterprises Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), estimated that the total number of MSMEs in Nigeria stood at about 40 million aa at end December 2020, with micro enterprises accounting for 97 percent of the total while SMEs accounted for 3 percent. MSMEs in Nigeria contributed some 46 percent of GDP and 8 percent of exports.
The World MSME Day 2022 was celebrated in Nigeria by major stakeholders in Nigeria’s MSME ecosystem, including the National MSME Clinics, SMEDAN and the Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME). The National MSME Clinics organized the 5th edition of the National MSME Awards and Dinner at the Old Banquet Hall, State House, Abuja on 27 June 2022. Introduced in 2018 by His Excellency, the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, GCON. the National MSME Awards Ceremony has been organized jointly key public and private sector MSME development stakeholders to recognize, encourage and reward outstanding MSMEs in selected sub-sectors within Nigeria’s MSME space. SMEDAN’s celebration on 27 June 2022 included a Roadshow, World Press Conference and Conference and Exhibition in Abuja.
Finally, NASME plans to hold World NASME’s MSME Day 2022 and Youth Empowerment Conference in Abuja on 21st July 2022