The Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) Plc has launched a new initiative to expand financing opportunities for women-owned businesses and signed a $61 million gender-focused credit line with the African Development Bank (AfDB) to strengthen support for female entrepreneurs.
The initiatives were unveiled at the seventh edition of DBN’s Annual Lecture, held at the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, alongside the launch of the bank’s impact report and the presentation of its MSME Data Assets.
The event, themed “From Policy to Prosperity: Translating Economic Reforms into MSME Growth,” brought together government officials, regulators, financial institutions, development partners and entrepreneurs to examine how economic reforms could translate into tangible benefits for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
Speaking at the event, DBN Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Tony Okpanachi, said the priority was to ensure that the benefits of economic reforms reached businesses across the country.
“The major reforms are now in place. How do we make sure their benefits reach the trader in Onitsha, the fabricator in Aba, the farmer in Kebbi and the young founder in Yaba?” he asked.
Okpanachi said MSMEs account for close to half of Nigeria’s gross domestic product and more than 80 per cent of jobs, stressing that their ability to access finance and grow was critical to the broader economy.
“When reform works for MSMEs, it works for most Nigerians,” he said.
He explained that reforms would only translate into prosperity when business owners could secure long-term financing for equipment, obtain credit from financial institutions willing to support them and acquire the skills and records required to expand their operations.
According to him, DBN provides longer-term funding through participating financial institutions, partial credit guarantees through its subsidiary, Impact Credit Guarantee Limited, and capacity-building support, including its Entrepreneurship Training Programme.
The managing director disclosed that DBN had cumulatively disbursed N1.4 trillion to MSMEs through 84 participating financial institutions as of December 2025, supporting the creation of approximately 1.6 million jobs nationwide.
Under its new five-year strategy, the bank aims to reach more than two million MSMEs, with specific targets for women-led and youth-led businesses as well as enterprises in underserved states.
A major highlight of the event was the launch of DAWN, meaning DBN Action for Women in Nigeria, designed to address financing and other barriers limiting the growth of women-owned enterprises.
Okpanachi said access to finance alone had not enabled enough women-led businesses to scale, making an integrated support system necessary.
The initiative combines financing, credit guarantees, technical assistance, outcome-linked grants and market linkages. Support will be delivered through banks, microfinance institutions, fintech companies, aggregators, cooperatives and direct channels.
Its priority sectors include agriculture and exports, healthcare, arts and creative industries, technology, and green businesses.
“DAWN is about moving gender-focused lending beyond intention and turning access into opportunity,” Okpanachi said.
The bank also unveiled its impact report and MSME Data Assets, further highlighting its focus on measuring development outcomes and improving the information available to support enterprise financing.
The signing of the $61 million AfDB–DBN Gender Line of Credit on the sidelines of the lecture reinforced the bank’s drive to expand funding for women-led businesses.
Okpanachi called on participating financial institutions to extend lending to sectors and states where access to finance remained limited. He also urged policymakers and regulators to assess economic reforms by their impact on businesses, while encouraging MSMEs to formalise their operations, maintain proper records and take advantage of available support.
The Vice President, who was the special guest of honour, was represented by Dr Fred Iklaga, Senior Technical Adviser in the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on the Economy.
The keynote speakers were MTN Nigeria Chief Executive Officer, Dr Karl Toriola, and Chairman of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, Dr Segun Ogunsanya.
A fireside chat featured Sterling Bank Chief Executive Officer, Abubakar Suleiman; manufacturing and trade entrepreneur Omoyemi Chukwurah; and Babban Gona’s Kola Masha, who participated virtually.
Representing the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Augusta Warrens Bekaredebo said the 2026 tax reforms were expected to provide relief for many small businesses.
She expressed optimism that more businesses would benefit from tax exemptions under the reforms, adding that “a lot of businesses will be smiling” by next year.
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