By Secrets Reporters
His Excellency, Jeong Yo-an, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Nigeria, paid a courtesy visit to the Director-General of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Mr. Charles Odii, at the Agency’s office in Idu, Abuja, on Thursday, 17 September 2026.
The visit took place during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Abuja Centre for Entrepreneurship, marking one of His Excellency’s first official engagements in Nigeria following his assumption of office.
The groundbreaking ceremony represents an important milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen entrepreneurship development, expand access to enterprise support, and equip entrepreneurs with the skills and resources required to build sustainable businesses.
During the engagement, the SMEDAN Director-General welcomed the Ambassador and highlighted opportunities for strengthening cooperation between Nigeria and the Republic of Korea in entrepreneurship development, skills acquisition, innovation, technology, enterprise development, and support for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
Mr. Odii noted that international partnerships remain important to SMEDAN’s efforts to create stronger ecosystems for Nigerian entrepreneurs and enhance the capacity of MSMEs to contribute meaningfully to economic growth, job creation and national development.
The engagement also provided an opportunity to explore areas of mutual interest and deepen collaboration between SMEDAN and relevant Korean institutions, particularly in promoting entrepreneurship, innovation and enterprise development.
Speaking on the visit, Mr. Odii expressed his appreciation to His Excellency for the engagement and welcomed the prospect of closer cooperation between Nigeria and the Republic of Korea.
“We are pleased to welcome His Excellency to SMEDAN and to have this opportunity to strengthen the relationship between Nigeria and the Republic of Korea. There is significant potential for collaboration in entrepreneurship, skills development, innovation and MSME development, and we look forward to translating this relationship into tangible opportunities for Nigerian entrepreneurs.”
The visit underscores the importance of international partnerships in advancing Nigeria’s MSME ecosystem and reflects SMEDAN’s commitment to building strategic relationships that support entrepreneurs and small businesses across the country
