By Felix Khanoba
The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has unveiled plans to produce 100 millionaire entrepreneurs through business development training, practical masterclasses and financial grants at its 2026 GROW Nigerian Conference.
The three-day conference, scheduled for November 8 to 10 at the Ecobank Pan African Centre (EPAC), Victoria Island, Lagos, will bring together entrepreneurs, policymakers, investors and development partners to explore opportunities for business expansion, innovation and improved access to finance and markets.
The event, themed “GROW Nigerian: The Next Frontier for Innovation, Policy and Market Access,” is designed to equip small and medium-scale enterprises with the knowledge, financial resources and institutional support required to build sustainable businesses.
According to SMEDAN, the initiative will combine intensive business training with funding opportunities to help aspiring entrepreneurs establish businesses while supporting existing enterprises to improve their operations and expand.
Selected participants will receive financial grants at the end of masterclass sessions, while the Zero to 100 Pitch Competition will offer additional funding opportunities to entrepreneurs with promising business ideas.
The pitch competition has a ₦100 million prize pool, with funds scheduled for disbursement during the Lagos conference and another event in northern Nigeria. The final pitching session and presentation of prizes in Lagos will hold on November 10.
SMEDAN Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Charles Odii, said the conference was structured to address the practical challenges that often prevent Nigerians with entrepreneurial skills from establishing successful businesses.
“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 managed money can determine whether that capital produces growth,” Odii said.
He added that the agency’s ambition to create 100 millionaires was aimed at ensuring that entrepreneurs acquire the necessary skills, funding and business connections to establish enterprises capable of creating jobs and sustaining livelihoods.
“Our ambition to create 100 millionaires brings these needs together. We want entrepreneurs to leave the conference with usefulskills, financial support and connections that help them build businesses capable of sustaining livelihoods and employing others.”
Beyond the training and funding components, the conference will feature the Nigeria First Fair, a three-day marketplace where members of the public can purchase products directly from Nigerian businesses, discover indigenous brands and interact with local entrepreneurs.
The fair is also expected to provide opportunities for individuals to shop ahead of the Christmas season, source gifts and purchase products for end-of-year celebrations.
Corporate organisations, retailers and other institutional buyers will equally have the opportunity to identify local suppliers, place bulk gift orders and establish business relationships with participating enterprises.
Odii urged Lagos residents and visitors to patronise the fair, stressing that purchases from local businesses would directly support entrepreneurs and strengthen the domestic economy.
“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,” Odii said.
The conference will also feature prominent business leaders and industry experts, with Wale Tinubu, Group Chief Executive of Oando Plc, scheduled to deliver the keynote address.
Tinubu is expected to share insights from his experience in building and expanding a Nigerian enterprise, particularly on business growth and the opportunities available to local entrepreneurs.
Among the confirmed masterclass facilitators are Chude Jideonwo, co-founder of Red Africa and Joy Inc.; Funke Bucknor-Obruthe, founder of Zapphaire Events; Teniola Chigbata, popularly known as TennyCoco; Nelly Agbogu, founder of NaijaBrandChick; and Anita Natacha Akide, popularly known as Symply Tacha.
Their sessions will focus on event management, beauty and makeup artistry, building a successful beauty business and leveraging artificial intelligence for marketing.
Participants are expected to benefit from practical demonstrations, business insights and direct engagement with the facilitators.
Award-winning Nigerian filmmaker, Tola Odunsi, will also participate in the event, where he will screen his latest film, 19, and conduct live auditions for actors to feature in a film production commissioned by SMEDAN.
Other prominent personalities expected at the conference include the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank of Industry, Dr Olasupo Olusi; Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Development Bank of Nigeria, Dr Tony Okpanachi; and Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NEXIM Bank, Abubakar A. Bello.
Also expected are the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye; Registrar-General of the Corporate Affairs Commission, Hussaini Ishaq Magaji, SAN; and Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, Oluwaseun Mayomi Faleye.
To address regulatory and operational challenges confronting small businesses, SMEDAN will operate a business clinic throughout the conference.
The facility will bring together regulatory agencies and business support institutions to provide entrepreneurs with direct guidance on business registration, compliance requirements and other operational challenges.
Business owners will have the opportunity to seek clarification on outstanding regulatory issues, obtain practical advice and identify appropriate steps towards resolving them.
A special NAFDAC Summit scheduled for November 9 will also provide a platform for discussions between the leadership of NAFDAC and SMEDAN, entrepreneurs and representatives of small business associations.
The town hall session is expected to address registration procedures, regulatory bottlenecks and possible solutions to challenges affecting small businesses.
NAFDAC will also conduct a live demonstration of its NAPAMS platform, allowing participants to understand how the system works while providing feedback and asking questions.
The conference will commence on November 8 with the Nigeria First Fair and a Fashion and Food Showcase highlighting locally made products and Nigeria’s creative enterprise.
The formal opening ceremony is scheduled for November 9, with training sessions, business engagements and other activities continuing through November 10.
The event is being organised in partnership with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, through its Sustainable Economic Development Cluster (SEDEC), commissioned by the German Government and co-funded by Denmark, Switzerland and the European Union.
Other partners include MTN and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), while the Lagos State Government is hosting the conference in partnership with Ecobank.
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is also expected to attend the event.
