Planned national census to strengthen data, improve financing access and drive industrial growth as over 115,000 MSMEs benefited from 2025 interventions…
The Federal Government has stepped up plans to expand the development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in 2026, following the disbursement of 200 million dollars to small businesses and exporters in 2025.
Through the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, the government announced it will roll out a National MSME Census aimed at strengthening its database of operators, improving the targeting of incentives and widening access to finance. The move comes after more than 115,000 MSMEs benefited from grants, loans and trade finance interventions within the past year.
The ministry explained that the 2026 MSME Census forms part of broader efforts to improve small business financing, enhance data credibility and support more effective industrial planning. In its Outlook for 2026, the ministry disclosed that the country disbursed 200 million dollars in funding to MSMEs and exporters while expanding access to finance to over 115,000 small businesses in 2025.
According to the document, the funds were channelled through the Bank of Industry and the Nigerian Export-Import Bank, while additional grants, loans and trade finance support were delivered through initiatives of BOI, NEXIM and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council.
The ministry said the planned census will replace existing estimates with verified data and provide a reliable foundation for industrial planning, targeted incentives and measurable policy impact. It identified the census as Priority One for 2026 under a reform agenda focused on disciplined execution, sub-national delivery and closer coordination between trade, investment and industrial policy.
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, described 2025 as a defining period for Nigeria’s trade and industrial direction. She said the year represented an inflection point marked by deliberate policy execution, renewed investor confidence and a Nigeria-first strategy to build a stronger export economy.
Oduwole noted that under the Renewed Hope Agenda of Bola Tinubu, the ministry concentrated on strengthening coordination, facilitation and measurable outcomes. She revealed that total capital importation rose sharply to about 21 billion dollars within the first ten months of 2025, compared to 12.3 billion dollars in 2024 and 3.9 billion dollars in 2023.
She added that the ministry developed a pipeline of more than five billion dollars in bankable projects, held over 150 bilateral and investor engagements, convened multiple sector deal rooms and tracked more than 50 billion dollars in signed commitments from presidential investment drives, with roughly a quarter already moving towards implementation. The minister also said about 50 investor bottlenecks were resolved to accelerate project delivery.
On trade performance, Oduwole disclosed that Nigeria recorded total trade valued at 113.03 trillion naira between the first and third quarters of 2025, with exports accounting for 66.16 trillion naira, reflecting an increase of over 11 percent year-on-year and sustaining a positive trade balance. She attributed the gains to the gazetting of Nigeria’s AfCFTA tariff schedule, the launch of an air cargo corridor linking East and Southern Africa and targeted export support for more than 100 MSMEs to improve certification and market readiness.
According to the minister, non-oil exports surpassed six billion dollars, representing an 11 percent annual increase, while freight costs dropped by about half and export processing time fell to less than 24 hours. She also pointed to progress in economic diversification under Priority Seven of the President’s Eight-Point Agenda, noting that reforms at the Nigeria Commodity Exchange drove more than 500 percent growth in traded volumes and a 111 percent increase in traded value in 2025.
Oduwole further stated that Nigeria ratified the AfCFTA Digital Trade Protocol, secured the role of AfCFTA Digital Trade Co-Champion, introduced the National Intellectual Property Policy and won the rights to host CANEX 2026 and the Intra-African Trade Fair in 2027.
Looking ahead, she said the ministry’s 2026 strategy will focus on four key pillars: expanding global and regional trade demand through facilitation, strengthening domestic export supply, mobilising investment through stronger policy coordination and leveraging data, digital infrastructure and strategic communication.
Beyond the MSME Census, the ministry identified women-led enterprises and long-term financing as Priority Four for 2026, proposing dedicated funding frameworks to support women-led industrial and MSME businesses, improve access to patient capital and integrate them into priority value chains.
Minister of State for Industry, John Enoh, said lessons from 2025 underscored the urgent need for stronger MSME data systems and improved execution frameworks. He noted that gaps in reliable data had constrained planning, targeting and policy evaluation, reinforcing the case for a comprehensive national MSME census.
Enoh stressed that policies without clear execution structures often fail to deliver results, adding that meaningful outcomes require ownership, sequencing and monitoring. He said continued engagement with manufacturers, MSMEs and investors helped shape the ministry’s strategy, noting that industry confidence grows when policies reflect real operational challenges rather than theoretical assumptions.
He warned that fragmentation among government agencies, states, financiers and private sector players slows industrial progress, emphasizing the importance of coordinated platforms such as the Industrial Revolution Working Group. On inclusion, he highlighted the resilience and impact of women-led enterprises but noted they still face significant barriers in accessing long-term finance.
Other priorities outlined in the ministry’s 2026 agenda include the Made-in-Nigeria National Campaign, development of industrial clusters, transformation of the cotton, textile and garment value chain, adoption of artificial intelligence and digital industrial governance, review of privatised industries and the Industrial Revolution Working Group Ministerial Roundtable.
