By Faridat Salifu
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 to expand funding and growth opportunities for agricultural small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across Nigeria.
The platform, themed “Funding the Future: Powering Nigeria’s Agric-SMEs,” was unveiled over the weekend during a two-day networking event held in Lagos. The initiative brought together agribusiness owners, financial institutions, business development service providers, and government agencies to discuss strategies for scaling and sustaining agricultural ventures.
The event featured panel sessions, funding dialogues, and success stories from resilient SMEs operating across Nigeria’s food and agriculture sectors.
Head of Alumni Relations and Support Services at EDC, Dr. Nnenna Ugwu, said the Centre remains committed to equipping Nigerian agric-SMEs to attract investors and achieve sustainable business growth.
“Today, we are utilising Business Development Service Providers to support small businesses on the AGRA platform and explore how they can be funded,” she said. “And when we say funding, we mean funding that works — funding for the future and sustainable funding.”
Ugwu explained that the EDC’s partnership with AGRA aligns with its long-term mission of building capacity and supporting entrepreneurs nationwide.
“EDC commits its resources to training and mentoring small businesses. We don’t give money, but we prepare entrepreneurs to be funding-ready and connect them with institutions that can provide grants or seed financing,” she added.
The Country Director for AGRA, Dr. Rufus Idris, said the collaboration seeks to strengthen Nigeria’s agribusiness ecosystem by enhancing the capacity of both agricultural SMEs and business development service providers.
“We’re here to strengthen the ecosystem and ensure a strong connection between SMEs seeking to grow and those providing the right kind of support,” Idris said.
He added that the initiative reflects AGRA’s commitment to transforming Africa’s food systems and supporting Nigeria’s agricultural agenda.
“Nigeria wants to boost food production, reduce post-harvest losses, and feed its growing population,” Idris noted. “To achieve this, we cannot focus only on smallholder farmers; we must also empower private-sector players, including agric-SMEs that face challenges like limited finance, market access, and high energy costs.”
A participant at the event, Mr. Israel Yusuf, Chief Executive Officer of Doctor Fish Agric Consult, commended EDC for creating a collaborative space for agricultural stakeholders to find practical solutions.
“This is a timely intervention, bringing together different actors in the value chain to discuss challenges and solutions. EDC believes that every challenge has a solution,” Yusuf said.
The partnership between EDC and AGRA is expected to open new pathways for agric-SMEs to access finance, strengthen business capacity, and drive inclusive economic growth in Nigeria’s agricultural sector.