Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged
financial institutions, government agencies and the private sector to expand support for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) nationwide.
Shettima made the call on Tuesday after receiving the 2025–2026 MSME report at a stakeholders’ meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He stressed that MSMEs remained central to economic growth, job creation and poverty reduction, urging stakeholders to intensify collaboration across sectors.
The Vice-President encouraged greater use of technology to strengthen MSMEs, particularly for young Nigerians operating in the digital economy.
He said: “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, NEPC and NIPC, is putting in their best and we are proud of you.”
Shettima urged agencies and private partners to harness opportunities in the digital space, agriculture and other high-impact sectors for MSME growth.
He cited India’s $130 billion earnings from business process outsourcing in 2025, describing the outsourcing market as a vast opportunity Nigeria must explore.
“So, we need to harness our potential in the digital space and in agriculture,” he added.
He thanked stakeholders for advancing MSMEs and assured them that President Bola Tinubu’s administration would continue supporting small businesses.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, described the meeting as a review of progress made in the MSME sector.
Idris said achievements in the sector showed Nigeria was on the path toward sustainable prosperity in Africa.
He commended Temitola Adekunle-Johnson, Special Adviser on Job Creation and MSMEs, and agency heads for working together to strengthen the sector.
“It is an indication of the inclusive effort by government to ensure Nigerians benefit from this sector.
“Only last year, Africa came to Nigeria to showcase what we are doing in the MSME space,” Idris said.
Adekunle-Johnson disclosed that about 250,000 jobs were created within the MSME space in 2025.
He said SMEDAN, the Bank of Industry and other agencies partnered states and commercial banks to launch a de-risking fund in May 2025.
The fund, he explained, aimed to improve MSMEs’ access to affordable financing nationwide.
“There has been collaboration, but the Vice-President wants us to deepen synergy to create more jobs and enhance access to credit,” he said.
He added that agencies such as ITF and SMEDAN were working as a single unit to deliver on the President’s mandate on MSMEs and job creation.
The Director-General of SMEDAN, Charles Odii, commended President Tinubu and Vice-President Shettima for “setting the blueprint for SME growth in Nigeria”.
Odii said shared facilities established through the Office of the Vice-President had expanded opportunities and increased participation in the MSME sector.
