The Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) of Pan-Atlantic University, in partnership with the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), has launched a new initiative designed to strengthen access to funding and growth opportunities for agricultural small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across Nigeria.
The platform, tagged “Funding the Future: Powering Nigeria’s Agric-SMEs,” was unveiled during a two-day exclusive networking event held in Lagos, bringing together agribusiness owners, financial institutions, business development service providers, and government agencies to discuss strategies for scaling operations and improving resilience in the agricultural value chain.
The event featured panel sessions, funding clinics, and success stories from some of the country’s most innovative and resilient agribusinesses.
Empowering SMEs for Sustainable Growth
Speaking at the event, Dr. Nnenna Ugwu, Head of Alumni Relations and Support Services at EDC, reaffirmed the Centre’s commitment to helping Nigerian agric-SMEs become funding-ready and achieve long-term sustainability.
“Today, we are utilising Business Development Service Providers to support small businesses on the AGRA platform and explore how they can be funded,” Ugwu said. “And when we talk about funding, we mean funding that works — funding for the future and sustainable funding.”
She explained that the partnership with AGRA aligns with EDC’s broader mission to train, mentor, and connect entrepreneurs to potential funders and business enablers.
“EDC commits its resources to training and hand-holding small businesses. We don’t give money directly, but we prepare entrepreneurs to attract investment and connect them with organisations that can provide grants or seed funding,” she added.
Strengthening Nigeria’s Agribusiness Ecosystem
In his remarks, Dr. Rufus Idris, AGRA’s Country Director for Nigeria, said the collaboration seeks to build a stronger ecosystem for business development service providers (BDSPs) and enhance the capacity of agricultural SMEs.
“We’re here to see how to strengthen the ecosystem of business development service providers and ensure a strong connection between SMEs seeking to grow or stabilise and those providing the right kind of support,” Idris said.
He noted that the initiative aligns with AGRA’s goal of transforming Africa’s food systems and supporting Nigeria’s agricultural transformation agenda.
“Nigeria aims to increase agricultural output, boost food production, and reduce post-harvest losses. To achieve this, we cannot focus only on smallholder farmers; we must also empower private-sector players, including agric-SMEs that face challenges such as limited finance, market access, energy costs, and operational inefficiencies,” he added.
Stakeholder Reactions
Participants at the event described the initiative as a timely intervention for Nigeria’s agribusiness sector.
Israel Yusuf, Chief Executive Officer of Doctor Fish Agric Consult, commended EDC and AGRA for creating a collaborative platform that encourages practical problem-solving.
“This is a timely initiative, bringing together different actors in the value chain to discuss challenges and solutions. EDC believes that every challenge has a solution, and this event has shown that collaboration works,” he said.
The EDC–AGRA partnership is expected to open new pathways for access to finance, capacity building, and inclusive growth for Nigeria’s agric-SMEs — a key driver of the nation’s food security and economic diversification agenda.