Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Presidency has said that 36 finalists have emerged for the first ever National Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sector awards scheduled for August 2.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President, Laolu Akande, in a statement said, the 36 finalists were selected from businesses across the country in a process that started on July 3, 2018.
The 36 finalists comprised three MSMEs in each of the 12 award categories designed for the programme.
The 12 categories are; MSME of the Year, Young MSME of the Year, Most Friendly MSME State, Excellence in Creative Arts, Excellence in Agriculture, Excellence in Manufacturing, Excellence in Technology Innovation and Excellence in Fashion and Style.
Others are, Excellence in Leather Works, Excellence in Furniture and Wood Works, Excellence in Beauty, Wellness and Cosmetics as well as Excellence for Non-Profit Service to Humanity.
The awards, which is being organised by the National MSMEs Clinic, is an initiative of the present administration and domiciled in the Office of the Vice President.
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It is aimed at encouraging innovation, hard work, dedication and industry in the MSMEs sector as the winners will go home with different category of prizes including the grand prize of a brand-new car, cash rewards amongst others.
According to Akande, this was in line with the Muhammadu Buhari administration’s commitment to continue to support growth in the MSMEs sector.