Vice President Kashim Shettima has called on key stakeholders across the public and private sectors to expand their support for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria, stressing their vital role in economic growth, job creation and poverty reduction.
Shettima made the call on Tuesday while receiving the 2025–2026 MSME Report at the Nigerian MSMEs Stakeholders Meeting held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He urged financial institutions, government agencies and private sector players to leverage technology to strengthen the MSME sector, particularly for young Nigerians operating in the digital space.
“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 said.
He specifically commended the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) for their contributions to MSME growth.
Drawing a comparison with India’s performance in business process outsourcing, Shettima noted that the Asian country generated $130 billion in 2025 from outsourcing alone, urging Nigerian stakeholders to harness similar opportunities in the digital and agricultural sectors.
“So, we need to really harness our potential in the digital space, in agriculture,” he added.
The Vice President assured stakeholders that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would continue to prioritise policies that support small businesses under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Earlier, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, described the meeting as a comprehensive review of achievements recorded by MSMEs, revealing that over 250,000 jobs had been created, with more expected.
The Special Adviser to the President on MSMEs and Job Creation, Temitola Adekunle-Johnson, presented the report and outlined progress made in improving access to affordable financing, reducing operational bottlenecks through shared infrastructure, strengthening market linkages and institutionalising recognition frameworks for excellence.
He disclosed that over 11 shared hubs had been deployed nationwide in the past year, contributing to the creation of more than 250,000 jobs. He added that the 2026 roadmap would focus on de-risking funds, expanding sustainable job creation programmes, strengthening coordination with partner agencies and state governments, and enhancing access to funding.
In his goodwill message, the Director-General of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, Charles Odii, commended President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima for providing a blueprint for MSME growth.
Managing directors of key regulatory agencies and representatives of leading financial institutions, including Access Bank, Zenith Bank and Wema Bank, pledged continued collaboration with the Office of the Vice President to deepen support for small businesses.
The meeting underscored the central role of MSMEs in Nigeria’s economic transformation and reaffirmed stakeholders’ commitment to creating an enabling environment for their sustained growth.
