Vice President Shettima Urges Stakeholders To Expand Scope Of Support For MSMEs

Says govt. agencies, private sector partners must harness Nigeria’s potential in digital space, agriculture

By: Our Reporter

The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has implored stakeholders, including financial institutions, government agencies, and the private sector, to expand their scope of support for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria.

Emphasizing their critical role in economic growth, job creation, and poverty reduction, he urged them to leverage technology to enhance the MSMEs sector, particularly for young Nigerians in the digital world.

Senator Shettima stated this on Tuesday when he received the 2025-2026 MSME report during the Nigerian MSMEs stakeholders meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

“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,” he told the stakeholders at the meeting.

Urging government agencies and private sector partners to harness the nation’s potential in the digital space, agriculture, and other key areas that can benefit MSMEs, VP Shettima asked them to take a cue from India, which generated $130 billion in 2025 from business process outsourcing alone, noting that the potentials in that outsourcing space are tremendous.

“So, we need to really harness our potential in the digital space, in agriculture,” he added.

The Vice President thanked the stakeholders for doing a great job in advancing MSMEs in Nigeria, assuring that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will do all it can to ensure the growth of small businesses in the country.

Speaking earlier, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, commended the Vice President, describing the meeting as an overview of what has been done by MSMEs over a period of time.

He noted that all the participants and stakeholders facilitating the success of the MSMEs programme were in attendance to appraise the achievements of the programme, even as he revealed that over 250,000 jobs were created and more are on the way.

The Minister also commended the Special Adviser to the President on MSMEs and Job Creation (Office of the Vice President), Mr. Temitola Adekunle-Johnson, for bringing all stakeholders in MSMEs in Africa to converge on Abuja to showcase Nigeria and chat the way forward in enhancing the development of the sector on the continent.

Presenting the MSME report to the Vice President, the Special Adviser to the President on Job Creation and MSMEs, Adekunle-Johnson, gave a brief rundown of how the Renewed Hope Agenda, under President Tinubu, has repositioned MSMEs as a central pillar of national economic transformation and job creation.

He noted that the core focus over the past year had been on improving access to affordable financing, reducing operational constraints through shared infrastructure, strengthening market linkages, and institutionalising recognition frameworks that promote excellence and competitiveness.

On the MSME space in 2025, he noted that access to funding had been expanded through MSME Clinics, which serve as a bridge between the federal government, state governments, and small businesses, thereby creating market visibility, business formalisation opportunities, and access to instant on-site grants for outstanding businesses at each clinic.

Speaking on job creation, the presidential aide disclosed that in the past year, over 11 shared hubs have been deployed, creating more than 250,000 jobs across the country.

On his office’s roadmap for 2026, he said the focus will be on strengthening coordination with partner agencies and state governments, targeting the de-risking of funds, the National MSME Awards, sustainable job creation programmes, capacity development, and improved access to funding.

In his Goodwill message, the Director General of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Charles Odii, commended President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima for “setting the blueprint for Small and Medium Enterprises growth in Nigeria.”

He said the shared facilities created by the MSMEs by the office of the Vice President have engaged the people, even in late hours of the day, creating more jobs, just as he noted that “this is the first time the people have been been so fascinated about the policy of government.”

The Managing Directors of Corporate Affairs Commission, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), and Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) also outlined how their respective agencies had benefitted thousands of MSMEs in the past year.

Representatives of Access Bank, Zenith Bank, and Wema Bank all 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 moving the Nigerian economy forward.

Vice President Shettima Urges Stakeholders To Expand Scope Of Support For MSMEs