Director General of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Dr. Dikko Umaru Radda, has said that the Federal Government has put in motion the process of rehabilitating all the Industrial Development Centres (IDCs) across the country.
The IDCs, spread across 23 states in Nigeria, were established in the 1960s to fast track the industrial development of Nigeria.
Radda, speaking in Owerri, while leading members of the Senate Committee on Industries, on an oversight functions, said that they have commissioned a study in collaboration with the African Development Bank (ADB) on how to rehabilitate the centres, the report of which had been submitted to government.
The DG said that this time, the private sector will be involved in the management of the centres, adding that the report was being studied after which modalities for the private sector would be spelt and advertised for interested investors.
He expressed regret at the dilapidated nature of the centres, stressing that most of the equipment were old and out of tune with the realities of the moment.
Earlier, chairman of the committee, Dr. Sam Egwu, expressed dismay at the level of deterioration of facilities at the IDC, stressing that the equipment were old and outdated.
