DBN Disburses N1.4trn Loans to MSMEs, Targets Two Million Businesses

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) Plc has disbursed N1.4 trillion to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) through 84 participating financial institutions, supporting the creation of about 1.6 million jobs as of December 2025.

The chief executive of DBN, Mr Tony Okpanachi, disclosed this at the bank’s seventh Annual Lecture in Abuja, themed “From Policy to Prosperity: Translating Economic Reforms into MSME Growth.

Mr Okpanachi said the bank’s new five-year strategy aims to extend its reach to more than two million MSMEs, with specific targets for women-led and youth-led businesses, as well as enterprises in underserved states.

He explained that DBN provides long-term funding through participating financial institutions, alongside partial credit guarantees and capacity-building support to improve access to finance for small businesses.

At the event, the bank launched its DBN Action for Women in Nigeria (DAWN) initiative to address financing challenges facing women entrepreneurs.

The programme combines financing, credit guarantees, technical assistance, outcome-linked grants and market linkages to support women-led businesses in agriculture and exports, healthcare, creative industries, technology and green businesses.

On the sidelines of the lecture, DBN and the African Development Bank (AfDB) signed a $61 million gender-focused line of credit to expand financing for women-led enterprises.

The bank also unveiled its Impact Report and presented its MSME Data Assets to improve understanding of the sector and support evidence-based decisions on financing and enterprise development.

Mr Okpanachi urged participating financial institutions to extend lending to underserved sectors and states, while encouraging MSMEs to formalise their operations, maintain proper financial records and take advantage of available financing and business-support programmes.

Meanwhile, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation’s representative at the event, Mrs Augusta Warrens Bekaredebo, expressed optimism that the Federal Government’s 2026 tax reforms would provide relief for small businesses, with many expected to benefit from tax exemptions.