The Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) Plc has launched a women-focused financing initiative, DAWN, unveiled its impact report and presented its Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) data assets at its seventh Annual Lecture in Abuja.
The bank also signed a $61 million gender-focused line of credit with the African Development Bank (AfDB) to strengthen financing for women-led businesses.
The event, held at the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, was themed, “From Policy to Prosperity: Translating Economic Reforms into MSME Growth.”
Speaking at the lecture, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of DBN, Dr Tony Okpanachi, said the priority was to ensure that the benefits of Nigeria’s economic reforms translated into tangible improvements for businesses.
He said the challenge was to make the gains from reforms accessible to entrepreneurs across the country, including traders, manufacturers, farmers and young business owners.
“ 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 accounted for close to half of Nigeria’s gross domestic product and more than eight in 10 jobs, stressing that policies supporting the sector would benefit a significant proportion of Nigerians.
He explained that economic reforms would translate into prosperity when entrepreneurs could access long-term financing to acquire equipment, obtain credit from financial institutions and develop the skills and records required to expand their businesses.
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 DBN chief executive disclosed that the bank had disbursed a cumulative N1.4 trillion to MSMEs through 84 participating financial institutions as of December 2025.
He said the interventions had contributed to the creation of about 1.6 million jobs nationwide.
Okpanachi added that the bank’s new five-year strategy was designed to reach more than two million MSMEs, with specific targets for women-led and youth-led businesses, as well as enterprises in underserved states.
Regarding the DAWN initiative, which stands for DBN Action for Women in Nigeria, he said the programme was designed to address the financing and other challenges that prevent women-owned businesses from expanding.
He explained that the initiative would combine financing, credit guarantees, technical assistance, outcome-linked grants and market linkages.
According to him, the programme would be delivered through banks, microfinance institutions, fintech companies, aggregators, cooperatives and direct channels.
He listed agriculture and exports, healthcare, arts and the creative industry, technology, and green businesses among the initiative’s priority sectors.
“DAWN is about moving gender-focused lending beyond intention and turning access into opportunity,” he said.
The $61 million AfDB-DBN gender line of credit was signed on the sidelines of the annual lecture as part of efforts to expand financing opportunities for women-led enterprises.
Okpanachi urged participating financial institutions to extend credit to businesses operating in sectors and states with limited access to financing.
He also called on policymakers and regulators to assess the impact of economic reforms by examining changes experienced by businesses, while encouraging MSMEs to formalise their operations, maintain proper records, and take advantage of available support programmes.
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 Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Dr Karl Toriola, and the Chairman of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, Dr Segun Ogunsanya, delivered keynote addresses at the event.
The lecture also featured a fireside chat involving the Chief Executive Officer of Sterling Bank, Mr Abubakar Suleiman; manufacturing and trade entrepreneur, Mrs Omoyemi Chukwurah; and Mr Kola Masha of Babban Gona, who participated virtually.
Representing the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mrs Augusta Warrens Bekaredebo, said the Federal Government’s tax reforms were expected to provide relief to small businesses, with many projected to qualify for tax exemptions by 2027.
She expressed optimism that the reforms would ease the tax burden on eligible businesses and improve their prospects for growth.
