Shettima: MSMEs Power Jobs, Prosperity Across Nigeria

Vice President Shettima says MSMEs are creating jobs and transforming communities through shared prosperity across Nigeria under Tinubu.

Vice President Kashim Shettima has said Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are driving job creation, improving livelihoods and transforming communities across Nigeria as the Tinubu administration pursues an enterprise-led economic growth strategy.

Speaking at the 8th National MSME Awards in Abuja on Saturday, Shettima said the administration was focused on building a sustainable economy where opportunities are decentralised and prosperity reaches every part of the country.

Represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, the Vice President said the government was creating an ecosystem that supports innovation, expands infrastructure and removes obstacles that have historically constrained small businesses.

He urged entrepreneurs and award recipients to continue building their businesses, assuring them of the government’s support.

“Nigeria needs your ideas, your jobs, and your leadership. I have no doubt that the Federal Government, along with state governments and our private-sector partners, will continue to build an enterprise-led nation where creativity is rewarded, small businesses grow into conglomerates, and prosperity is shared by all,” he said.

Describing MSMEs as the backbone of the Nigerian economy, Shettima said they remain the country’s largest source of employment.

“90 per cent of all Nigerian businesses are MSMEs. They are the largest employers of labour in this country, providing jobs for over 60 million of our people. Through bold and innovative ideas, and through sweat and courage, our MSMEs are improving the livelihoods of Nigerians and transforming our communities through the prosperity they create,” he observed.

The Vice President said creating an enabling environment for businesses to flourish remains one of the key pillars of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

He highlighted a number of interventions introduced by the administration, including the expansion of National MSME Clinics to all six geopolitical zones, allowing entrepreneurs to engage directly with regulators, financial institutions and business support organisations.

Shettima also pointed to investments in shared infrastructure designed to reduce operating costs for businesses and improve access to technology and production facilities.

“We have institutionalised 21 state-of-the-art Shared Infrastructure Facilities, providing affordable access to high-speed internet, modern machinery, and collaborative spaces, from digital hubs for our tech innovators to shared production spaces for our fashion designers, and these hubs have supported the creation of 650,000 jobs,” he said.

On access to finance, the Vice President said the administration had significantly expanded funding opportunities for businesses.

“On the question of financial access, we have moved with deliberate force. Through the ₦75 billion MSME Intervention Fund and the ₦50 billion Presidential Conditional Grant Scheme, we have expanded the pool of capital available to our enterprises. Through the Development Bank of Nigeria, we have disbursed ₦874 billion to approximately 751,000 women and youth led MSMEs.

“We have provided over ₦394.88 billion in financing to export-oriented enterprises through the Nigerian Export-Import Bank. And under the Skill-Up Artisans programme, we have trained over 165,000 artisans and equipped them with the resources to flourish.”

Shettima said many of the government’s interventions for small businesses were documented in the newly launched book, Building Nigeria, Empowering MSMEs: A Compendium of the Federal Government’s Initiatives and Interventions for Nigerian MSME Growth.

He described the publication as a record of the administration’s support for enterprise development and economic inclusion.

The Vice President also explained that the 2026 National MSME Awards marked a policy shift from rewarding winners with physical assets to providing more liquid capital to support business expansion.

“This 8th edition we have deliberately themed the Renewed Hope Edition, and with it we have made a clear policy shift. In previous years, excellence was rewarded with cars, shops, or houses alongside cash prizes. Those gestures carried meaning, but we came to recognise that in the face of current global economic shifts, what a growing business needs most is liquid capital,” he added.

A total of 13,859 entries were received for the awards across categories including agriculture, manufacturing, technology, fashion, creative industries and businesses owned by persons living with disabilities.

The overall MSME of the Year award went to Olanreforward Foods & Farms Ltd.