26th September, 2022
Development Bank of Nigeria Plc, Nigeria’s first wholesale development finance institution is set to hold its 3rd annual lecture series, a thought leadership initiative that provides a platform for a robust exchange of ideas to drive debate on significant issues within the Micro, Small, and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs).
This is scheduled to hold on Thursday, September 29, 2022, at the Transcorp Hotel, Abuja.
The BUA Group Chairman, Alhaji Abdul Samad Rabiu and the CEO of Access Holdings Plc, Dr. Albert Wigwe, will be making presentations focusing on the theme, MSMEs: Thriving In The Face Of Domestic & Global Disruptions.
There will also be a panel secession featuring the MD, Interswitch, Mitchell Elegbe; Director, Entrepreneurship Innovation Centre, Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University, Dr. Henrietta Onwuegbuzie; Chairman, IVM Innoson Group of Companies, DR Innocent Chukwuma; CEO, Urban Shelter, Hajia Sa’Adiya Aliyu Aminu.
According to the DBN Managing Director, Dr. Tony Okpanachi, the lecture series is one of our many contributions toward strengthening the economy by ensuring that MSMEs are adequately empowered to continually contribute effectively to the economic development and prosperity of Nigeria.
In his words, “The lecture series is part of our thought leadership initiative towards empowering small businesses to upscale. The forum will explore and discuss in detail all the challenges facing MSMEs, especially in the face of local and global disruptions.
“It will also proffer solutions across the board on how small businesses can thrive sustainably. Their relevance in driving economic growth and development has gained widespread international recognition. Hence the need for us to focus on this critical sector of the economy in line with our three-pronged mandate of providing access to finance to the MSMEs, Capacity building for both the PFIs and the MSMEs themselves and providing partial credit guarantee to the PFIs to encourage them to lend to small business across sectors.
“The central objective of the lecture series is to broaden the understanding of the challenges MSMEs face and critically examine practical steps to resolve the obstacles that constrain their growth,” he added.
In the five years since it commenced operations, DBN has made available over N512 billion to over 225,000 small businesses across all the geographical zones of the Federations, thereby engendering socio-economic development.