new businesses as well as improve on their existing businesses. The statistics are as follows: Table: Entrepreneurship Development Activities ACTIVITY 2009 2010 Information 1,704 802 Provision Sensitization 9,887 11,117 Capacity Building 5,192 14,062 (EDP) Access to Finance 50 110 Total 11,641 26,091 Source: SMEDAN Report to NEPAD TOTAL 2506 21,004 19,254 160 42,924 Other areas in which major strides have been recorded in the development of MSMEs are:  Facilitating Access of MSMEs to Critical Resources through the Establishment of Industrial Parks under Public Private Partnership agreements.  Two billion naira loan disbursement through NERFUND in 2009/2010;  Collaboration of SMEDAN, NBS, CBN, NPC and UNDP in a national survey to determine the contributions of MSMES to GDP.  Provision of Business Development Services: engagement/accreditation of business [enterprise] development service providers (BDSPS)  $500m Sovereign Guaranteed Program: In view of the fact that the SMEs represent a strategic pillar for Nigeria’s quest to modernize and improve its economy, the Federal Government, through the Bank of Industry (BOI), secured a five hundred million US Dollars worth of Sovereign Guaranteed Programme, in May 2011. The loan was approved by the Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) and is meant to be channeled to SMEs through BOI by way of a multi- tranche line of credit. The fund is meant to finance domesticoriented Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) through BOI with the aim of 57

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