₦airaland Forum

The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has announced the launch of the 2025 SMEDAN Pitch Competition.

The competition will award N20 million in grants to five outstanding entrepreneurs whose businesses demonstrate innovation, resilience, and sustainable growth.


SMEDAN empowers Nigerian entrepreneurs

The pitch competition forms part of this year’s National MSME Conference, which aims to promote innovation and enterprise development among Nigerian youths and business owners.


The initiative offers a platform for small business owners to showcase their ideas before a national audience of investors, innovators, and policymakers.

Ten finalists will be selected and treated to an all-expenses-paid trip to Lagos state, where they will pitch their business ideas live for a chance to win from the N20 million grant pool.

A statement from SMEDAN reads: “The 2025 SMEDAN Pitch Competition is designed to celebrate creativity and innovation within Nigeria’s MSME space. The goal is to empower visionary entrepreneurs whose businesses are contributing to inclusive economic growth, resilience, and sustainability.”

Applicants are required to submit a one-to-two-minute video introducing their business, explaining the problem their product or service solves, and demonstrating how it aligns with the 2025 conference theme, ‘Building a Future of Innovation, Resilience, and Prosperity.’

Application details and deadlines

According to the organisers ;

*entries close on October 28, 2025. Interested entrepreneurs can apply via smedan.gov.ng/msmeconference.

*Applicants must: Be registered with SMEDAN (portal.smedan.gov.ng) with a valid SUID.

* Own a Nigerian business operating for at least 2 years.

* Be available for the live pitch in Lagos (Nov 16–18, 2025).


Step 1: Elevator Pitch Video

* Record a clear, 2-minute video introducing yourself and your business. Highlight your innovation, resilience, and growth plans.

* Post publicly on social media, tag @smedangov, and use hashtags #SMEDANPitchCompetition #SMEDANGov #MSMEConference25 #GrowNigerian

* Follow SMEDAN on all platforms and include your video link in the application form.

Step 2: Application Form Fill out three sections:

Personal Information Business Information Pitch Entry (with video link) To fill out the application form, use this link. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeQ54VluP3uXThlFfcItkLWXyAdKVNUzu3lMboCWGAYht0N8g/viewform

SmartPolician:
If you are looking for real opportunities, do this with private companies that use transparent judges to select the best.

I attended Zenith Bank's hackathon last year and accurately predicted its winner because the company built a mind-blowing software solution. Its founder smiled home with N25m; that's exactly what I mean!

With our kind of president and his team, forget it because nothing good can come out of this government. You need to be connected before winning anything.

greatiyk4u:
Hmmmmmm, can this be true

Racoon:
"We’ve Disbursed N419Billion Conditional Cash Transfers To Nearly 6 Million Nigerians, To Pay N54 Billion To 2.2Million Beneficiaries In August" –Tinubu Govt Claims
President Bola Tinubu's administration has said that its government will reach over 2.19 million Nigerians this August through its conditional cash transfer programme.

The Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Tanko Sununu, made this known while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Monday.

"In August, we are going to reach out to 2,190,000 people. The process is that the National Social Safety-Net Coordinating Office (NASSCO) will now harvest vulnerable Nigerians based on their lowest cadre in the national social register," he said.

Explaining further, the minister said the initiative was targeted at vulnerable citizens who will receive direct cash payments.

"For those Nigerians, it is a rapid conditional cash transfer, so far we have disbursed N419 billion to 5.968 million Nigerians," he said.

https://saharareporters.com/2025/08/18/weve-disbursed-n419billion-conditional-cash-transfers-nearly-6million-nigerians-pay

badoh:
Please don't discourage people to apply for this. Did any student need to have connection before they can access the student loan granted to them? Many students that are from less privileged homes have benefited from the student loan without connection. Fine, there could be some political influence, however some without connection will still get it. Let them try their luck.

SmartPolician:
Someone should teach this man the difference between a loan and a grant because he clearly doesn't know it.

Take it from me - nothing good can come out of Tinubu. There's a reason he lost his own election in his backyard.

SmartPolician:
If you are looking for real opportunities, do this with private companies that use transparent judges to select the best.

I attended Zenith Bank's hackathon last year and accurately predicted its winner because the company built a mind-blowing software solution. Its founder smiled home with N25m; that's exactly what I mean!

With our kind of president and his team, forget it because nothing good can ever come out of this government. You need to be connected before winning anything.

Pakute:
https://www.legit.ng/business-economy/money/1680237-smedan-unveils-n20m-funding-opportunity-small-business-owners/

SmartPolician:
If you are looking for real opportunities, do this with private companies that use transparent judges to select the best.

I attended Zenith Bank's hackathon last year and accurately predicted its winner because the company built a mind-blowing software solution. Its founder smiled home with N25m; that's exactly what I mean!

With our kind of president and his team, forget it because nothing good can ever come out of this government. You need to be connected before winning anything.

NewHe:
That's entirely falsehood! You don't have to discourage people because you hates the government.
I was a Finalist of the YouWIN without knowing anybody!

greatiyk4u:
Hmmmmmm, can this be true

franchasng:
You cannot compare Goodluck Jonathan's regime with Bola Tinubu's evil regime of nepotism and bias