Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Vice President Kashim Shettima has called on financial institutions, government agencies and private sector players to deepen support for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, MSMEs, describing the sector as central to Nigeria’s economic transformation, job creation and poverty reduction drive.
Speaking at the Presidential Villa while receiving the 2025–2026 MSME Report during the Nigerian MSMEs stakeholders’ meeting, Shettima said the country must urgently leverage technology and innovation to unlock opportunities for young Nigerians.
“We have our jobs cut out for us. SMEDAN is doing an awesome job, so also is ITF. Every stakeholder here, from NAFDAC, to CAC, NITDA, Export Promotion Council, and NIPC, is putting in their best, and we are mightily proud of all of you,” the Vice President told participants.
He urged stakeholders to harness Nigeria’s digital and agricultural potential, citing India’s success in business process outsourcing.
“So, we need to really harness our potential in the digital space, in agriculture,” he said, noting that India generated $130 billion in 2025 from outsourcing alone.
Shettima assured stakeholders that the Tinubu administration would continue to prioritise policies that create a more enabling environment for small businesses, describing MSMEs as “the engine room of inclusive growth and national prosperity.”
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, described the meeting as a stocktaking session on the progress recorded in the MSME ecosystem.
He revealed that more than 250,000 jobs had been created through MSME-focused interventions over the past year, with additional employment opportunities underway.
Presenting the report, the Special Adviser to the President on Job Creation and MSMEs, Temitola Adekunle-Johnson, said the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has repositioned MSMEs as a pillar of economic growth.
According to him, the past year’s efforts focused on expanding access to affordable financing, reducing operational constraints through shared infrastructure, strengthening market linkages, and institutionalising recognition frameworks to promote excellence.
He disclosed that over 11 shared hubs have been deployed nationwide, contributing to the creation of more than 250,000 jobs.
Adekunle-Johnson said the 2026 roadmap will prioritise stronger coordination with partner agencies and state governments, de-risking of funds, sustainable job creation programmes, capacity development and improved access to finance.
In his goodwill message, the Director-General of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, SMEDAN, Charles Odii, commended the administration for “setting the blueprint for Small and Medium Enterprises growth in Nigeria.”
Heads of key regulatory and business-support agencies, including the Corporate Affairs Commission, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, and Nigerian Export Promotion Council, outlined how their reforms had facilitated thousands of small businesses in the past year.
Representatives of major banks, including Access Bank, Zenith Bank and Wema Bank, pledged continued collaboration with the Office of the Vice President to ensure MSMEs receive the financing and advisory support required to scale.
