Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Nigeria is positioning itself as a continental leader in digital trade and small business growth, as Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima declared that the Tinubu administration has begun laying “digital highways and bridges” to power Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, MSMEs, into Africa’s wider market.
Speaking in Abuja on Monday during the inauguration of the Oversight Committee for Nigeria’s hosting of the 4th African Union MSME Forum, scheduled for June 23–27, Shettima described the MSME sector as central to Africa’s economic revival.
He emphasized that Nigeria was not just preparing to host the event but using it to advance digital inclusion and cross-border enterprise.
“Africa does not lack ideas. What we need is the infrastructure and access to compete globally. We are already taking bold steps to build digital bridges that will carry MSMEs across borders into the heart of the African market,” Shettima said.
Citing over 83% of Africa’s employment existing in the informal economy, the Vice President stressed that Nigeria was leveraging digital innovation to convert potential into growth.
“We have reformed. We have invested. And we are resolved to see this transformation through. But none of us can achieve this in isolation,” he added.
The Vice President highlighted several initiatives, including Nigeria’s chairmanship of the AfCFTA Negotiating Forum and the creation of a Technology Export and Digital Trade Desk to support local entrepreneurs.
Shettima also pointed to the $617.7 million i-DICE programme and the 3 Million Tech Talent initiative, which trains Nigerian youth in coding and digital skills.
“The budget alone accounts for just 10% of GDP. We need smart public-private partnerships. MSMEs must become the heartbeat of our economic renewal,” he said.
Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hadejia, who chairs the organizing committee, said the summit theme: “Building Resilient MSMEs through Digital Innovation, Market Access and Affordable Financing for Africa” aligns with the government’s economic agenda.
Also speaking, Minister of Information Mohammed Idris Malagi said Nigeria’s hosting of the AU MSME Forum signals growing international confidence in the country’s business environment.
“This underscores President Tinubu’s commitment to empowering MSMEs through reforms and strategic investments,” he said.
Minister of State for Industry, Sen. John Enoh, and Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Mrs. Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, both emphasized access to finance and market expansion as vital for the sector’s growth.
Lagos, which accounts for nearly 70% of Nigeria’s MSMEs, recently launched a N10 billion access-to-finance scheme through LASMECO.
Representatives from BOI, FIRS, SMEDAN, NEXIM, NEPC, and NACCIMA pledged collaboration to ensure a successful forum and long-term support for MSME development across the continent.
