SMEDAN plans to make 100 millionaires at Lagos small business conference
- SMEDAN will hold its GROW Nigerian Conference in Lagos from 8 to 10 November 2026.
- The agency says grants and a ₦100 million pitch competition will create 100 new millionaire entrepreneurs.
- A public market fair runs all three days, and NAFDAC will hold a town hall on registration.
The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) says it wants to turn 100 small business owners into millionaires through grants and training at its GROW Nigerian Conference 2026, holding in Lagos from 8 to 10 November.
The event will take place at the Ecobank Pan African Centre on Victoria Island. Its theme is “GROW Nigerian: The Next Frontier for Innovation, Policy and Market Access.”
SMEDAN said in a statement that masterclasses will end with cash grants for some participants, while a Zero to 100 Pitch Competition will carry a ₦100 million prize pool. Part of the money will be paid out at the conference and the rest at a later event in northern Nigeria. The final and prize presentations hold on 10 November.
For an ordinary trader or artisan, the appeal is simple: capital and know-how. SMEDAN Director-General Charles Odii said the conference targets the practical problems that stop skilled people from building real businesses.
“For someone who has learnt a skill but cannot afford the tools to begin, access to capital can change their prospects,” Odii said.
He said existing businesses also need to learn pricing, how to win customers and how to manage money, otherwise capital alone will not produce growth. The goal, he said, is for entrepreneurs to leave with skills, funding and contacts that can sustain livelihoods and create jobs.
A market open to everyone
Residents do not need an invitation to shop. The Nigeria First Fair will run for all three days, with small businesses selling directly to the public. With Christmas approaching, SMEDAN is urging Lagos residents and visitors to buy from local brands, saying each purchase is an immediate sale for a Nigerian enterprise.
The conference opens on 8 November with the fair and a fashion and food showcase. The formal opening ceremony holds on 9 November, followed by learning sessions and business meetings.
Wale Tinubu, Group Chief Executive of Oando Plc, will give the keynote address. Facilitators listed for the masterclasses include Chude Jideonwo, Funke Bucknor-Obruthe, Teniola Chigbata (TennyCoco), Nelly Agbogu and Anita Natacha Akide (Symply Tacha). Sessions will cover event management, beauty and makeup, building a beauty business, and using artificial intelligence for marketing.
Filmmaker Tola Odunsi will screen his latest film, “19”, and hold live auditions for a SMEDAN-commissioned production.
A business clinic will run throughout, with regulatory agencies on hand to answer questions on registration and compliance. On 9 November, a NAFDAC town hall will bring the heads of NAFDAC and SMEDAN together with entrepreneurs to discuss registration requirements and bottlenecks. NAFDAC will also demonstrate its NAPAMS platform live.
Expected at the event are the heads of the Bank of Industry, the Development Bank of Nigeria and NEXIM Bank, as well as the Director-General of NAFDAC, the Registrar-General of the Corporate Affairs Commission and the head of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund. Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is expected to attend.
The conference is supported by GIZ through its Sustainable Economic Development Cluster, funded by the German government with co-funding from Denmark, Switzerland and the European Union. Other partners include MTN and the Korea International Cooperation Agency, with the Lagos State Government as host and Ecobank as partner host.
What happens next
Business owners who want grants or a shot at the pitch competition should be at the venue from 8 November. The prize money is shared between this conference and a later northern Nigeria event, so not all of the ₦100 million will be handed out in Lagos.
