BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja
The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has called on Nigerians to patronise locally made products especially during the forthcoming festive season, to support Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).
Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of SMEDAN, Charles Odii stated this at the ongoing 2026 GROW Nigerian Conference holding at the Ecobank Pan African Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos.
He said: “We are inviting people to come and shop Nigerian. As you prepare for the festive season, there is an opportunity to discover something new, buy directly from local businesses and help an entrepreneur finish the year stronger.”
With the theme: “GROW Nigerian: The Next Frontier for Innovation, Policy and Market Access”, the conference is designed to connect entrepreneurs with the skills, financing, markets and institutional support required to establish and expand sustainable businesses.
It featured sessions on event management, beauty and makeup artistry, building a beauty business and the use of artificial intelligence for marketing.
Odii disclosed that the agency plans to raise 100 millionaire entrepreneurs through business training and financial grants to strengthen small businesses and promote economic growth.
He added: “Our ambition to create 100 millionaires brings these needs together. We want entrepreneurs to leave the conference with useful skills, financial support and connections that help them build businesses capable of sustaining livelihoods and employing others,” he said.
The initiative is expected to support enterprise development, stimulate wealth creation and enhance the capacity of small businesses to generate employment, just as access to finance must be complemented by practical business knowledge to translate entrepreneurial potential into economic value.
Odii hinted that many Nigerians had the skills to establish businesses but lacked the funds to acquire equipment and other essential resources, while existing enterprises faced challenges in business management, pricing and customer acquisition.
“For someone who has learnt a skill but cannot afford the tools to begin, access to capital can change their prospects. For an existing business, knowing how to price properly, attract customers and manage money can determine whether that capital produces growth,” he said.
The DG informed that the agency aimed to equip entrepreneurs with the resources and connections needed to build sustainable businesses, support livelihoods and create jobs.
He was optimistic that the initiative would provide additional financing opportunities, with grants scheduled for disbursement at the Lagos conference and another event in northern Nigeria.
Participants are expected to benefit from practical demonstrations and direct interaction with facilitators.
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