The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, SMEDAN, has intensified efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s startup ecosystem by training a new cadre of entrepreneurship facilitators to nurture innovative, technology-driven and investment-ready businesses capable of competing on the global stage.
The initiative, being implemented under the Abuja Centre for Entrepreneurship, ACE, Project, began with a two-week Training of Trainers programme in Abuja, where 30 participants selected from across the country are undergoing certification in Business Management and Artificial Intelligence to serve as entrepreneurship facilitators.
Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of SMEDAN, Mr. Charles Odii, said the trainees have a strategic responsibility to groom the next generation of entrepreneurs who can transform innovative ideas into globally competitive enterprises.
Represented by the Director of the DG’s Office, Mr. Onesi-Lawani, Odlii urged participants to focus on building businesses that are investment-ready, capable of creating jobs and driving sustainable economic growth.
According to him, the programme received more than 1,100 applications, from which 80 candidates were shortlisted by the Project Management Consortium across the two training streams. Following a rigorous interview process, 30 participants were eventually selected for the intensive capacity-building programme.
He observed that while funding opportunities for startups continue to expand in Nigeria, many emerging businesses are yet to attain the level of preparedness required to attract investors. He said the training is designed to bridge that gap by producing certified facilitators who will mentor entrepreneurs in building scalable, sustainable and globally competitive ventures.
Odii identified key high-growth sectors where the trainers are expected to support aspiring entrepreneurs, including financial technology, agricultural technology, health technology, logistics and mobility, as well as the creative economy encompassing digital media, fashion, gaming, animation and film.
The SMEDAN DG also highlighted Nigeria’s growing prominence within Africa’s innovation ecosystem, noting that the country is home to five of the continent’s eight unicorn startups.
He challenged the participants to contribute to expanding that success by mentoring entrepreneurs capable of building billion-dollar enterprises and supporting Nigeria’s aspiration of becoming one of the world’s top 10 economies.
While expressing confidence in the impact of the programme, Odii said the intensive training would strengthen participants’ capacity to advance the objectives of the ACE Project while making meaningful contributions to Nigeria’s entrepreneurship and innovation landscape.
The Abuja Centre for Entrepreneurship is a flagship initiative of SMEDAN implemented in partnership with the Korea International Cooperation Agency, KOICA.
The project promotes entrepreneurship education, digital innovation, business incubation and acceleration, institutional capacity building and policy support to help young Nigerians establish high-growth enterprises with global competitiveness.
