BusinessDay to host SME summit, recognise fastest rising businesses

BusinessDay, Nigeria’s leading financial newspaper, is set to host the 8th edition of its annual SME summit and recognised fastest growing businesses across the country.

The event will bring together entrepreneurs, business leaders, financiers, and policymakers, creating a space for knowledge-sharing, networking, and collaboration within Nigeria’s SME ecosystem.

The event themed ‘Driving Nigeria’s Economy: Empowering SMEs for Global Competitiveness,’ is scheduled to be held on December 4 at Glitz Event Centre, Lekki, Lagos, will

Hassan Imam, managing director of Keystone Bank Limited, will deliver the keynote address, setting the tone for conversations around innovation, growth, and global competitiveness within the SME sector.

There will be diverse speakers, including Ziad Maalouf, founder of Pro ScaleUp Limited; Asher Adeniyi, founder of Myeazipay; Paul Olaloye, head of Audit and compliance at IBILE MFB; Josephine Ehimen, CEO of Nett Pharmacy; Omoruyi Edoigiawerie, lead partner, E and C Legal; Femi Awofala, CEO of The African Catalyst; Isaac Oladipupo, co-founder of Afrilearn/Moneywise, and Adeyemi Adediran, partner, Commercial Practice, Andersen.

Also, Emmanuel Olujobi, founder of Jasper School of Data (UK); Comfort Aruosa-Osemwegie, chief dealmaker, Dealroom Nigeria; Adeshina Adewumi, CEO of Trade Lenda, and Efe Usin, founder and president of Women in Export, Trade and Investment (WETI) which highlight BusinessDay’s focus on bringing together voices shaping Nigeria’s evolving enterprise landscape.

Moderators for the various sessions include Ogechi Okwechimeh, Anselm Anselm, and Omowunmi Martins, whose backgrounds span venture building, marketing, and strategic advisory.

Businessday SME 100 is an annual event hosted by Businessday Nigeria to recognise and celebrate Nigeria’s Top 100 Fastest Growing Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).

The event includes a conference and awards ceremony, which provides a platform for networking, knowledge sharing, and showcasing businesses that are driving economic growth in Nigeria.

It is also an opportunity for entrepreneurs, startups, and innovators to gain visibility, connect with potential partners, and learn from industry leaders.

For businesses nominated in the awards, the recognition goes beyond a trophy; it is an affirmation of their contribution to economic growth, job creation, and innovation.

BusinessDay said the initiative would spotlight SMEs that demonstrate strong growth potential, scalable organisational structure, profitability, and the capacity to adapt even under challenging economic conditions.

This recognition aims not only to celebrate success but also to encourage other SMEs to pursue excellence. By elevating these enterprises, the SME 100 Awards seeks to reinforce the role of SMEs as the backbone of Nigeria’s economy, BusinessDay noted.

Folake Balogun

Folake Balogun is a renowned tech journalist who offers insightful and critical analysis of the African rapidly growing digital economy, particularly within Nigeria. She closely monitors the health of the African startup ecosystem by covering significant venture capital trends, investment deals, and the challenges faced by emerging firms. Known for her deep dives into the fintech sector, she covers the evolution of digital payments, dynamics of major financial innovations and also extends to emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the future of connectivity by providing context to their economic and social impact.