The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has announced plans to create 100 new millionaire entrepreneurs through practical capacity-building sessions and financial grants at its GROW Nigerian Conference 2026.
The conference, scheduled for November 8 to 10, 2026, at the Ecobank Pan African Centre (EPAC), Victoria Island, Lagos, will bring together entrepreneurs, policymakers, investors and development partners to explore opportunities for business growth.
It is themed “GROW Nigerian: The Next Frontier for Innovation, Policy and Market Access.”
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According to a statement by SMEDAN, the conference will combine intensive masterclasses with enterprise funding to equip participants with the skills and financial support needed to establish, improve and expand their businesses.
Selected participants will receive financial grants at the end of the masterclasses, while the Zero to 100 Pitch Competition will provide additional funding opportunities for promising businesses.
The competition has a ₦100m prize pool, with disbursements scheduled to take place at the Lagos conference and another event in northern Nigeria. The final and prize presentations at the Lagos conference will hold on November 10.
Speaking on the initiative, SMEDAN Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Charles Odii, said the programme was designed to address practical challenges preventing entrepreneurial talent from translating into viable 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 manage money can determine whether that capital produces growth,” Odii said.
“Our ambition to create 100 millionaires brings these needs together. We want entrepreneurs to leave the conference with useful skills, financial support and connections that help them build businesses capable of sustaining livelihoods and employing others.”
The statement added that the conference would feature the Nigeria First Fair, a three-day marketplace open to the public, where visitors can purchase directly from Nigerian small businesses, discover local brands and interact with entrepreneurs.
With the festive season approaching, the fair is expected to provide opportunities for individuals and organisations to shop for Christmas gifts, end-of-year celebrations and corporate orders.
Corporate buyers, retailers and organisations will also have the opportunity to identify suppliers and establish business relationships with participating enterprises.
SMEDAN encouraged Lagos residents and visitors to attend the fair, noting that purchases would create direct commercial opportunities for local businesses.
“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 feature the Group Chief Executive of Oando Plc, Wale Tinubu, as keynote speaker, drawing on his experience in building and expanding a Nigerian enterprise.
Confirmed masterclass facilitators include 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.
The sessions will cover event management, beauty and makeup artistry, building a beauty business, and using artificial intelligence for marketing. Participants are expected to benefit from practical demonstrations, business lessons and direct interactions with the facilitators.
Award-winning Nigerian filmmaker, Tola Odunsi, will also attend to screen his latest film, 19, and conduct live auditions for a cast for a film production commissioned by SMEDAN.
Other confirmed participants include the Managing Director of the Bank of Industry, Dr Olasupo Olusi; Managing Director of the Development Bank of Nigeria, Dr Tony Okpanachi; and Managing Director of NEXIM Bank, Abubakar A. Bello.
They will be joined by 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 of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, Oluwaseun Mayomi Faleye.
A business clinic will also operate throughout the conference, bringing regulatory agencies and business support institutions together to provide direct assistance to entrepreneurs.
Business owners will be able to seek guidance on registration, regulatory requirements, and other operational challenges, as well as identify practical steps to resolve outstanding issues.
A dedicated NAFDAC Summit scheduled for November 9 will adopt a town hall format, bringing the heads of NAFDAC and SMEDAN together with entrepreneurs and small business representative groups to discuss registration requirements, address bottlenecks and clarify available solutions.
NAFDAC will also demonstrate its NAPAMS platform, guiding businesses on its use while receiving questions and feedback from participants.
The conference 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 the governments of Denmark and Switzerland, as well as the European Union.
Other partners include MTN and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), while the Lagos State Government is the host and Ecobank is the partner host.
Lagos Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is also expected to attend the conference.
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