Business
2025 LITF: Lagos Promises MSMEs Continued Visibility, Capacity Building
Lagos State Government has reaffirmed its unwavering dedication to continue to support Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises across the state through visibility, capacity building, and market access.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu made the pledge at the closing ceremony of the 2025 Lagos International Trade Fair (LITF), in Lagos, over the weekend.
Represented by the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, Sanwo-Olu who noted that investors and businesses were choosing Lagos because of its ecosystem of scale, connectivity, and dynamism said however that scale alone was not enough.
Sanwo-Olu stated that it had to be matched with enabling infrastructure, smart policy, digital readiness, and a business environment where value was both created and sustained.
He said the government had made remarkable progress across infrastructure.policy, and digital transformation.
In his words, “But progress is never measured only in infrastructure, policies, or statistics. Its true measure lies in the impact on human lives.
“When businesses connect and value is created, the benefits ripple outward, creating jobs in manufacturing, data centres, and agro-industrial hubs; ensuring
that growth translates into shared prosperity for all,” he said.
The governor also pledged that the government would intensify support for MSMEs, describing them as the backbone of the economy.
He said the State’s collaboration with the LCCI remained crucial as the chamber designed programmes to empower small businesses, strengthen export readiness, and connect Lagos-based enterprises to regional and global markets.
Also, Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, said every entrepreneur, regardless of scale, deserved an enabling environment to thrive and contribute meaningfully to the economic prosperity of the state.
Ambrose – Medebem said the state, through strategic investments in infrastructure, institutional reforms, and continuous engagement with the private sector was building a Lagos that worked for business adding that the state would continue to foster innovation, competitiveness, and sustainability.
“As a government, we remain steadfast in our commitment to making Lagos the preferred destination for commerce and enterprise.
“This fair has once again demonstrated the power of connection; connection between producers and consumers, investors and innovators, government and private sector, local entrepreneurs and global brands.
“Every handshake, every conversation, every business card exchanged here is a building block toward the future we are creating, a future of prosperity that leaves no one behind,” she said.
The commissioner urged businesses to continue to connect, collaborate, and create value, saying “in Lagos, we do not just trade goods; we trade ideas, build futures, and transform lives.
“Together, let us continue to make Lagos not just a place of commerce, but a symbol of progress, innovation, and endless opportunity,” she said.
Mr Gabriel Idahosa, President, LCCI, urged government at all levels to continue to address the issues of creating an enabling environment in the country.
Idahosa said focus should be on infrastructure, security, and implementing the right policies to address the key drivers of high inflation.
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Business
BVN Enrolments Rise 6% To 67.8m In 2025 — NIBSS
The Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) has said that Bank Verification Number (BVN) enrolments rose by 6.8 per cent year-on-year to 67.8 million as at December 2025, up from 63.5 million recorded in the corresponding period of 2024.
In a statement published on its website, NIBSS attributed the growth to stronger policy enforcement by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the expansion of diaspora enrolment initiatives.
NIBSS noted that the expansion reinforces the BVN system’s central role in Nigeria’s financial inclusion drive and digital identity framework.
Another major driver, the statement said, was the rollout of the Non-Resident Bank Verification Number (NRBVN) initiative, which allows Nigerians in the diaspora to obtain a BVN remotely without physical presence in the country.
A five-year analysis by NIBSS showed consistent growth in BVN enrolments, rising from 51.9 million in 2021 to 56.0 million in 2022, 60.1 million in 2023, 63.5 million in 2024 and 67.8 million by December 2025. The steady increase reflects stronger compliance with biometric identity requirements and improved coverage of the national banking identity system.
However, NIBSS noted that BVN enrolments still lag the total number of active bank accounts, which exceeded 320 million as of March 2025.
The gap, it explained, is largely due to multiple bank accounts linked to single BVNs, as well as customers yet to complete enrolment, despite the progress recorded.
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