Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday inaugurated an industrial shoe-making hub equipped with the modern technology at Nkwelle Ezunaka Village in Anambra.

Described as a “one-stop-shop digital leather and industrial hub,” Mr Osinbajo said the shoes to be produced at the complex would rival those produced in Europe.

Equipped by the federal and state government, Mr Osinbajo said the hub would represent the nerve centre of the Micro Small and Medium Scale Enterprises in Nigeria.

The project, embarked upon to boost the drive to industrialise Nigeria’s shoe and leather industry, is funded by a N2 billion MSME facility from the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The vice president said the federal government was committed to improving the South East’s commercial and economic environment and completing ongoing projects in the region.

Described as the perfect interchange between dream and opportunity, the Anambra state governor, Willie Obiano, said the “ultra-modern shoe-making hub with cutting edge technology” was Nigeria’s most modern MSMEs complex.

Federal government agencies housed within the complex include the Bank of Industry, Standard Organisation of Nigeria, Corporate Affairs Commission, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria and Nigerian Export Promotion Council.

Others are the Raw Materials Research and Development Council, Industrial Training Fund, National Micro Small and Medium Enterprise Clinics for Viable Enterprises and Anambra State Small Business Agency (ASSBA).