Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State says his administration is committed to scaling up funding to build the capacity of artisans/tradesmen in the state.

Mr Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the commissioner for establishment and training, Afolabi Ayantayo, said this at the 14th Tradesmen and Artisans Day, with the theme: “Collaboration and Networking: the Path to Artisanal Growth and Development”. He said that artisans were key contributors to economic growth, employment generation and wealth creation. According to him, the event is designed to showcase the huge potential in the sector. He said that his administration had activated a series of empowerment programmes to adequately prepare artisans to think globally and provide local solutions.The governor said that the state had been consistently developing innovative solutions that had addressed the challenges of the group and would continue to create the enabling environment for improved productivity. “As a government that is responsive to the needs of the people, we will continue to explore ways to make sure we cushion the effects of these policies. “We will do everything within our power to support you at this time and ensure that you feel the impact of our good governance. “We will continue to improve the capacity of the relevant government agencies and institutions, including the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund, and continue to support small-scale businesses with access to funds. “Our passion to enhance the growth of this sector and prosperity of all stakeholders has been demonstrated by the implementation of various programmes through the Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment and collaboration with other government agencies and the private sector,” he said. Speaking earlier, the commissioner for wealth creation and employment, Akinyemi Ajigbotafe, said that the THEMES+ Agenda of Gov. Sanwo-Olu was a step toward improving the economic situation of the state and enhancing individual capacity. Mr Ajigbotafe said that the event was designed to create an opportunity to commend and appreciate artisans and trade associations that had distinguished themselves in their chosen vocations and activities in the last year. He, however, said that the crucial role that collaboration and networking played in advancing the growth and development of tradesmen and artisans cannot be overemphasised. The commissioner urged individuals and groups in the sector to seek knowledge and innovation to further develop themselves and their trades. The president of the Lagos State Council of Tradesmen and Artisans, Nurudeen Buhari, thanked the governor for supporting the association to activate programmes that had enhanced the capacity of the members, which would form part of growing the state’s economy. Mr Buhari called for an increase in the number of artisans and tradesmen trained annually on capacity retraining programmes and requested soft loans for members to boost their businesses. He, however, appealed for the upward review of the annual subvention to the earlier N12 million, which was reduced to N6 million because of the economic downturn brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. (NAN)