Kohima: Nagaland Governor Nand Kishore Yadav on Tuesday inaugurated the Made in Nagaland Centre at YouthNet, 5th Mile, Chumoukedima, aimed at providing local entrepreneurs with greater access to markets and creating sustainable economic opportunities.
Speaking as the special guest, Yadav said the Centre represented an important step towards building an ecosystem where Nagaland’s creativity, enterprise, traditional skills and cultural wealth could find wider markets and generate sustainable livelihoods.
He said the State’s indigenous crafts, textiles, agricultural products, food traditions and artistic expressions could become sustainable sources of income when supported by adequate market access.
Appreciating YouthNet’s initiative, the Governor said the Made in Nagaland platform was conceived to bridge the gap between local producers and larger markets. He noted that the first one-stop Made in Nagaland platform was launched in 2018 with 81 entrepreneurs and had since grown to around 350 entrepreneurs offering about 600 products from across Nagaland.
Yadav said the initiative was particularly significant for youth, women, MSMEs and rural communities, stressing the need to encourage young people not only to seek employment but also to become job creators.
He said entrepreneurs required access to skills, finance, mentoring, technology, branding, packaging, digital marketing, market intelligence and, importantly, markets.
The Governor also stressed the need to preserve Nagaland’s cultural heritage by ensuring that traditional skills and knowledge remained economically viable.
He said the Made in Nagaland initiative had the potential to bridge tradition and modernity, heritage and enterprise, and local production and wider markets.
Emphasising quality, Yadav said the label “Made in Nagaland” should become synonymous with authenticity, quality, innovation, sustainability and trust. He encouraged stakeholders to focus on quality control, standardisation, packaging, branding, product consistency, supply chains and digital commerce to enable local products to compete beyond the State.
He said Chumoukedima, as an important gateway to Nagaland and being close to Dimapur, was well placed to showcase the State’s entrepreneurial and creative potential.
The Governor said the Centre should serve not merely as a retail outlet but also as a meeting point between producers and consumers, rural enterprises and urban markets, and traditional knowledge and contemporary design.
He called for greater collaboration among government departments, financial institutions, educational institutions, private enterprises, civil society and organisations such as YouthNet.
The success of the initiative, he said, should ultimately be measured by the number of sustainable entrepreneurs and livelihoods created, women economically empowered, traditional skills preserved and local products reaching markets outside Nagaland.
Yadav expressed hope that Made in Nagaland would grow from a platform into a movement and become an engine of inclusive growth, enabling local talent to find opportunities, local products to reach national and international markets, and local traditions to secure a sustainable future.
Advisor, Industries and Commerce, and Founder of YouthNet, Hekani Jakhalu, shared the journey behind the establishment of the Made in Nagaland Centre.
She said YouthNet was established in 2006 with the objective of changing the mindset of young people towards entrepreneurship and encouraging them to create employment opportunities rather than depend solely on government jobs.
Jakhalu said the first Made in Nagaland Centre was launched in Kohima in 2018, while the Chumoukedima facility marked the third such initiative.
She said the Centre sought to showcase the strength and potential of Naga entrepreneurs, adding that Nagaland had products of high quality and that efforts were being made to create the right ecosystem for local businesses to grow.
Jakhalu highlighted the importance of basic infrastructure, including roads and power supply, in supporting entrepreneurship. She also said access to finance was being facilitated through the Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP) Scheme being implemented by the Department of Industries and Commerce.
Efforts were also being made to support entrepreneurs in branding and packaging and to help their products reach wider markets, she said.
According to Jakhalu, strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem and empowering local businesses would contribute to the larger vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
Advisor to the Chief Minister and Chairman of the Investment and Development Authority of Nagaland (IDAN), Abu Metha, congratulated YouthNet for its work in creating employment opportunities and providing local producers access to markets.
He said YouthNet had emerged as an ambassador of the ambitions and aspirations of the people and had worked with various government departments to create employment opportunities and empower youth.
Metha highlighted Nagaland’s contribution to the country in areas including national security, sports, and traditional arts and crafts.
He also referred to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly’s unanimous resolution appealing to the Centre to urgently review and withdraw the Protected Area Permit (PAP) regime in the State, with the stated objective of promoting tourism and strengthening Nagaland’s creative economy.
Metha said initiatives such as the Made in Nagaland Centre aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for the development of the Northeast and the broader goal of building a developed Nagaland.
Earlier, YouthNet Director and Chief Functionary Nuneseno Chase delivered the welcome address.
Following the inauguration, Governor Yadav toured the Made in Nagaland Centre and the Training Institute and took an overview of the facilities and activities.
The programme was attended by Advisor, Urban Development and Municipal Affairs, Zhaleo Rio; Advisor, Social Welfare, Wangpang Konyak; MLA Benei M Lamthiu; officials of the district administration, YouthNet members, entrepreneurs and other dignitaries.
Established by YouthNet, the Made in Nagaland Centre provides a dedicated platform for locally made products while supporting entrepreneurs in expanding their market reach and business opportunities.
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