…PPP seeks to harness Nigeria's potential in the digital sector
Vice President Kashim Shettima on Tuesday urged stakeholders including financial institutions, government agencies and the private sector to expand the scope of their support to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria.
Noting the vital role of MSMEs in economic growth, job creation and poverty reduction, Shettima urged them to leverage technology to enhance the MSME sector, especially for young Nigerians in the digital world.
The Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, Office of the Vice President, said this when he received the 2025-2026 MSME Report at the Nigerian MSME Stakeholders Meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Vice President said “We have jobs for us. SMEDAN is doing great work and so is the ITF. Every stakeholder from NAFDAC to CAC, NITDA, Nigerian Export Promotion Council and NIPC is doing their best and we are proud of you all.”
He also urged government agencies and private sector partners to harness the country's potential in the digital space, agriculture and other key sectors that can benefit MSMEs.
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He cited the case of India, which generated $130 billion in 2025 from business process outsourcing alone, noting that the potential in that outsourcing sector is tremendous.
“So, we really need to harness our potential in the digital sector, in agriculture,” he said.
The Vice President thanked stakeholders for doing good work in advancing MSMEs in Nigeria, and assured that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will do everything possible to ensure the growth of small businesses in the country.
Earlier, Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris commended the Vice President and described the meeting as an overview of the work done by MSMEs from time to time.
He said all participants and stakeholders who facilitated the success of the MSME program were present to evaluate the achievements of the programme, even as he revealed that over 250,000 jobs were created and more are to come.
The Minister also commended the Special Adviser to the President on MSMEs and Job Creation (Office of the Vice President), Temitola Adekunle-Johnson, for rallying all stakeholders of MSMEs in Africa to come together in Abuja to showcase Nigeria and drive the development of the sector on the continent.
Presenting the MSME Report to the Vice President, Special Adviser to the President on Job Creation and MSMEs, Adekunle Johnson, gave an overview of how the Renewed Hope Agenda under President Tinubu has positioned MSMEs as the central pillar of national economic transformation and job creation.
He said the main focus of the last year has been on improving access to affordable financing, reducing operational barriers through shared infrastructure, strengthening market linkages and institutionalizing accreditation frameworks that promote excellence and competitiveness.
On the MSME sector in 2025, he said access to funding has been expanded through MSME clinics, which serve as a bridge between the federal government, state governments and small businesses, creating market visibility, business formalization opportunities and access to immediate on-site grants for outstanding businesses at each clinic.
Speaking on job creation, the Presidential Aide revealed that in the last year, more than 11 shared centers were deployed, creating over 250,000 jobs across the country.
On his office's roadmap to 2026, he said the focus will be on strengthening coordination with partner agencies and state governments, reducing funding risks, national MSME awards, sustainable employment generation programmes, capacity development and better access to funding.
Director-General of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Charles Odi, commended President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima for “laying out the blueprint for the development of small and medium enterprises in Nigeria.”
He said the shared facilities created by the Office of the Vice President for MSMEs have kept people engaged even in the last hours of the day, and created more jobs, as he said “this is the first time that people have been so attracted about a government policy.”
The Managing Directors of the Corporate Affairs Commission, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), and Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) also explained how their respective agencies have benefited thousands of MSMEs in the last year.
Representatives from Access Bank, Zenith Bank and Wema Bank are committed to partnering with the Office of the Vice President to ensure that MSMEs get the support they need, even as all stakeholders play their respective roles in driving the Nigerian economy forward.
