MSME clinics, shared hubs generate 250,000 jobs — Shettima
Vice President, Kashim Shettima, on Tuesday said Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) initiatives under the President Bola Tinubu led-administration have generated over 250,000 jobs nationwide through MSME Clinics and shared industrial hubs.
Shettima made the appeal at the Presidential Villa in Abuja while receiving the 2025–2026 MSME Report during a stakeholders’ meeting.
He said Nigeria must harness opportunities in the digital economy and agriculture to unlock the full potential of small businesses, particularly for young Nigerians operating in the technology space.
“We have our jobs cut out for us,” the Vice President said, commending agencies such as the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) for their contributions to MSME development.
Drawing comparisons with India’s outsourcing sector, Shettima noted that the Asian country generated $130 billion in 2025 from business process outsourcing alone, stressing that Nigeria could tap into similar opportunities.
“We need to really harness our potential in the digital space, in agriculture,” he said, assuring that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would continue to prioritise policies that support small businesses.
Earlier, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the meeting provided an opportunity to review progress recorded under the MSME programme. He disclosed that more than 250,000 jobs had been created through various initiatives, with additional employment opportunities expected.
The Special Adviser to the President on Job Creation and MSMEs, Temitola Adekunle-Johnson, said the Renewed Hope Agenda had repositioned MSMEs as a central pillar of economic transformation. He highlighted improved access to affordable financing, shared infrastructure, stronger market linkages and institutional recognition frameworks as key interventions over the past year.
