The Special Adviser to the Governor on Innovation and Business Incubation, Ms. Chinwe Okoli recently received the Director General/CEO of SMEDAN, Mr. Charles O. Odii, at the Solution Innovation District (SID) center in Awka, Anambra State.

Upon his arrival at the SID center, Ms. Chinwe Okoli extended a warm reception to Mr. Charles O. Odii, taking him on a comprehensive tour of the centre, showcasing the state-of the art facility that provides cutting-edge resources and opportunities to support the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in the State. The SID center is a state-of-the-art hub designed to cater to the evolving needs of innovative minds, offering a variety of spaces and amenities for entrepreneurs, startups, digital tribe and innovators. The spaces include Digital Lab, Robotics Lab, Co-working Spaces, multi-purpose Training Halls, Executive Co-working Space, Conference Room, among others.

Mr. Charles O. Odii expressed his admiration for the visionary leadership of the Governor of Anambra State, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo CFR, and his steadfast commitment to inspiring and scaling innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship in the state. He also commended Ms. Chinwe Okoli for her remarkable work at SID, which is making a significant impact in fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in the region.

Mr Odii's visit to the SID center coincided with the "SMEDAN Talent Hunt" event held at the multi-purpose training hall of SID in partnership with Anambra State Government. The "SMEDAN Talent Hunt" is a national-focused initiative aimed at identifying and empowering outstanding entrepreneurs and innovative MSMEs in the business of waste recycling to promote clean and green environment. The national business competition was held in two distinct zones: Kaduna for the Northern Zone and Anambra for the Southern Zone. The winners received cash prizes and access to business development service providers to further enhance their business knowledge and skills, in addition to crucial market linkages.

The "SMEDAN Talent Hunt" event at the SID underscores the collective commitment of the Anambra State government through the Solution Innovation District to harness the power of innovation, enable entrepreneurship, and promote sustainable business practices for the benefit of the State's economic development and the prosperity of the people.

During his visit, the Anambra State Government in partnership with SMEDAN signed a one-billion-naira(N1,000,000,000) agreement to fund Small and Medium sized Enterprises in Anambra State. Under the agreement, Anambra State Government will provide five hundred million naira (N500,000,000) and SMEDAN will match it with five hundred million naira (N500,000,000). This groundbreaking partnership will strengthen the impact of Solution Innovation District in supporting the growth of SMEs, startups and the entrepreneurship ecosystem in the State.

Solution Innovation District and SMEDAN will continue to partner towards empowering SMEs and Startups to create jobs and contribute to economy of the State and the nation at large.

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