The fight for survival among Nigerian Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) demands more than mere encouragement—it requires structure and strategic intervention. This principle was the driving force behind the hugely successful 2025 Abeokuta Business Summit, where INBRID Global convened over 2,000 entrepreneurs in a high-impact capacity-building forum.
The summit was explicitly designed to tackle the most persistent bottlenecks hindering MSME growth, including crippling access to capital, severe operational friction, and escalating business costs—challenges that persist despite the sector contributing over 45% to Nigeria’s GDP.
The Strategic Mandate: From Struggling to Structured
Godwin Adekoya, Principal Consultant at INBRID, articulated the organization’s clear objective: to transition entrepreneurs “from struggling to structured, and from surviving to scaling.”
The summit was a highly focused, research-backed intervention, moving beyond generic advice to deliver bespoke, practical guidance. Key features included:
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Targeted Masterclasses: Deep-dive sessions covered vital, often neglected, areas such as Cashflow Mastery, Legal Structuring, Brand Positioning, Digital Transformation, and Workforce Optimization.
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Customized Guidance: Over 15 participating businesses received personalized, expert-led guidance on strategy and system development.
The sessions were praised by attendees for providing immediate clarity and actionable direction, enabling business owners to swiftly identify operational gaps and implement sustainable solutions.
Unlocking Capital: The INBRID Grant Pipeline
A major focus of the summit was facilitating access to early-stage capital, a notorious hurdle for MSMEs in Ogun State. INBRID announced the finalists for its Grant Program, who will now enter a rigorous preparation phase.
This intensive training covers:
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Advanced Business Modeling
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Financial Documentation
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Investor Readiness
This initiative ensures that promising ventures are not just given money, but are structured correctly to successfully attract follow-on capital from private equity and venture capital markets.
INBRID emphasized that its mission extends beyond a single event. The organization is committed to building a robust, resilient MSME ecosystem through continuous support, community engagement, and localized business development, cementing the Abeokuta Business Summit as a pivotal force in empowering local entrepreneurs.
