The Head of the Civil Service of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mrs Grace Adayilo has commended efforts by the Management of Abuja Enterprise Agency (AEA) in hosting the 5th Abuja SME Expo saying it has sustained the Territory’s development in line with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda being championed in FCT by the Minister, Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike.
Mrs Adayilo made the remarks while declaring open the 5th Abuja SME Expo at Jabi Lake Park, Abuja, yesterday Friday May 30, 2025.
This was contained in a statement signed and released on Saturday by Comrade Emmanuel Tortiv, Team Lead, Corporate Communications, AEA.
The Head of Service who was represented by her Personal Assistant Mrs Olaide Genevieve Yongo, said over the years, AEA has served as FCT’s Special Purpose Vehicle for various SME initiatives such as the hitherto hosting of the Abuja SME Expo, best MSME One Stop Shop in the country which is greatly supporting the Ease of Doing Business in the FCT.
She also said the AEA has successfully implemented the FCT-CARES Programme in the Territory under Nigeria’s COVID-19 economic Recovery Efforts as well as ran the One Village, One Product (OVOP) initiative across the six Area Councils while at the same time launching the Rural Skills Acquisition Initiatives among several others.
Speaking on this year’s theme of the Expo; Leveraging Financial Opportunities and Strategies to Mobilize Funding for Sustainable Growth, the number one Civil Service Bureaucrat said “it is both timely and strategic as it focuses on financial tools, investment strategies and collaborations to unlock capital and promote sustainable development.”
“Beyond funding, the Expo is a vibrant space to build networks, explore partnerships, and connect with distributors, customers and export markets.” Stated Mrs Adayilo.
While urging attendees of the Expo to fully engage, she appreciated corporate partners and sponsors for their unwavering support in making the event a success.
She also appreciated the FCT Minister, Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike and Minister of State Dr. Mariya Mahmoud for their steadfast commitment to enterprise development, youth empowerment and inclusive economic growth.
Earlier in his welcome remarks, the Ag. MD/CEO of AEA, Dr. Chudi Ugwuada-Ezirigwe said the 5th Abuja SME Expo was planned to improve the competitiveness of Nigerian SMEs, promote industrialization, stimulate investment in digital technologies and strategically position ‘made in Nigeria’ products in the African and global markets.
Dr. Chudi Ugwuada-Ezirigwe, Ag. MD/CEO at the event yesterday.
Dr. Ugwuada-Ezirigwe said the theme of the Expo reflects the increasing need to empower SMEs with information, tools and strategies to access funding.
He however said “harnessing these opportunities demands a collaborative commitment from all stakeholders in the SME ecosystem which is made up of financial institutions, investors, policymakers and development partners. It is only through collective effort that we can create an enabling environment that promotes entrepreneurship and sustainable growth.”
Asked by Newsmen on the need to increase the frequency of hosting the Expo, the Ag. MD/CEO said “you know running events of this magnitude requires enormous commitments. And I believe that from the speeches that have been made and goodwill messages that we have heard from the stakeholders, definitely working together, we will try to see that we make it periodic. It will not just be a once in a year activity.”
“By the time we get to the drawing board, we will be positioned properly to make it quarterly or biannually but trust me it is not going to be a yearly event again because the stakeholders are in agreement that this should not be a once-a-year event it should be at worst twice a year. But if we can why not four times a year?
“That is the spirit. The spirit is that we are together. At this time that we are together, we should be able to strategically position to run this thing quarterly. That is what I can tell you for now. Because we have a fate that we should do that and we will definitely do that.” Stated the optimistic Ag. MD/CEO.
He called on the exhibitors and participants to see the Expo as an opportunity to expand their markets, opportunity to work and cross fertilize ideas and innovation.
Dignitaries at the event included Mr. David Opeyemi Oke, Head of Trade, Abuja Office of the World Trade Center, who delivered a Keynote Address. The Mandate Secretaries of FCT Women Affairs Secretariat, Economic Planning, Revenue Generation and Public Private Partnerships (EPRG&PPP) were ably represented at the event. Others included representatives from the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Raw Materials Research and Development Council, the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure(NASENI), the Coordinator, Special Agric Processing Zones Project, Hajia Umar Abubakar among several others.
Group picture of Dignitaries who represented the various Corporate entities at the Event.
The first Abuja SME was staged in 2016. It was designed as a platform for entrepreneurs to showcase their products and services to both local and global audiences, expand market reach and explore new opportunities.
Since then, the Agency has successfully organized four previous editions with over 1,200 enterprises showcasing their goods and services to an estimated 11,000 visitors.
The ongoing edition, just as the past ones has featured impactful activities such as Bushiness Clinics, Symposiums, Interactive Panel Discussions and Business Advisory Sessions among others.
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