Economy
Supporting SMEs Can Get Nigeria Out Of Recession—Nmonwu
By Ebitonye Akpodigha
Regional Director for Sage West Africa, Mr Magnus Nmonwu, has suggested that providing support for small businesses in Nigeria could be one of the key ingredients to carrying the country through these tough times.
He pointed out that this should become a priority for big businesses and the Federal Government.
“Nigerian entrepreneurs and business owners are the engines that drive the country’s economy,” says Mr Nmonwu.
He added that, “During recessions, big companies are able to adjust by downsizing and cutting costs. Small businesses, however, keep going and carry the losses. They need our support, as they can contribute to turning the economy around, far more quickly.
“It is important that government and other stakeholders listen to entrepreneurs’ concerns as they seek to grow and contribute to the economy.
“We have embraced the responsibility of helping to amplify the voice of small business, because we also started small and understand the challenges entrepreneurs of small face in such times.”
He also said with the recession biting, small and medium businesses face the reality that consumers won’t have as much money to spend and that investors and business partners will taper down investment.
Given that Nigeria has an estimated 37 million micro, small, and medium-size enterprises making a significant contribution to GDP and employment, this sector should be treated as an economic priority.
Another concern on the horizon is the looming Communication Service Tax Bill 2015, which is currently with the National Assembly. If passed into law, the law will require that consumers of voice, data, SMS, MMS and pay TV services pay a 9% tax on their tariffs for using these services.
This is in addition to other taxes people already pay for mobile and Internet access – 5% VAT, 12% import duties on ICT devices, and 20% tax levied on SIM cards, amongst the series of taxes. The Alliance for Affordable Internet, Nigeria Coalition, estimates that the tax could prevent more than 50 million Nigerians from affording a basic broadband connection.
“Nigerian entrepreneurs depend on their mobile phones and the Internet to run their businesses,” says Mr Nmonwu. “The tax could potentially raise the cost of doing business and hold back Nigeria’s integration into the global digital economy by excluding people from broadband access.”
Mr Nmonwu says that it is understandable that the government needs to raise new tax revenues in the wake of falling commodity prices. However, this should ideally be done in a way that nurtures the growth of the Small & Medium Business, technology and services sectors – especially at a time Nigeria needs to diversify its economy beyond oil
Emphasis should be placed on creating new tax revenues. For example, a conditional tax amnesty could encourage smaller businesses who have not compiled with tax laws to fall into the tax net. By making short-term sacrifice of potential tax revenues, government could bring more businesses into the formal economy and help them grow into enterprises able to employ more people, approach banks for financing and pay taxes.
Financing small businesses
“In this regard, we are encouraged to see some of the moves that government, multilateral financing institutions and other stakeholders are making to support entrepreneurs,” Mr Nmonwu adds. In particular, he welcomes the Central Bank’s launch in May 2016 of a modern online collateral registry, supported by the World Bank. The registry will enable low-income earners and micro-entrepreneurs to secure loans against movable assets such as machinery, livestock, and inventory.
Other bodies providing small businesses with financial support include:
Bank of Industry, which supports new or existing companies, seeking expansion, modernization or diversification;
The National Economic Reconstruction Fund (NERFUND), which provides medium-to-long-term financing for viable small and medium enterprise; and
Bank of Agriculture (BoA), which provides financial support for all agricultural in addition to rural micro enterprises.
“Funding is one of the major challenges entrepreneurs face in Nigeria, so these are great initiatives,” Mr Nmonwu says. “We would welcome similarly innovative interventions to address some of the other challenges small businesses face such as complex tax and remove regulations and general business red-tape.”
The Nigerian government is also to be commended for establishing a range of organisations and initiatives to support Small & Medium Businesses. For example, the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) identifies Nigerians who are interested in entrepreneurship and provides them with training in entrepreneurship and vocational skills. Entrepreneurs meet regularly to share ideas about growing their businesses under the umbrella of SMEDAN.
He further said, “Entrepreneurs make life-sacrifices. They are dreamers and innovators. They take risks to pursue their passions and, on this, Nigeria’s prosperity can or should be built /developed. They deserve a bigger voice and we will always work hard to champion this noble cause.”
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The N21.5 billion rights issue of Eterna Plc has commenced, with shareholders encouraged to participate in the exercise through the NGX Invest platform.
The rights issue began today, Monday, January 12, 2026, and is expected to close on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, a notice signed by the company secretary, Mr David Edet, disclosed.
Proceeds from the exercise will be deployed to support several strategic initiatives, including the expansion of Eterna’s retail network, upgrading of its lubricant blending plant, enhancement of LPG retail assets, acquisition of commercial delivery assets, expansion of aviation fuelling operations, and investments in ESG-related projects aligned with the company’s sustainability objectives.
Business Post reports that a total of 978,108,485 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each are available for grabs at the price of N22.00 each.
The stocks are being offered to existing shareholders on the basis of three new ordinary shares for every four ordinary shares held as of November 27, 2025.
Apart from buying equities of the rights issue via the NGX Invest platform, shareholders can also purchase by completing the paper participation form.
However, completed participation forms, together with payment or evidence of payment for the full amount payable, must be submitted no later than Wednesday, February 18, 2026, to any of the issuing houses or receiving agents listed in the rights circular.
The rights issue provides existing shareholders with the opportunity to increase their equity holdings in the organisation, thereby reinforcing their participation in and support for Eterna’s long-term growth strategy.
The firm disclosed in the disclosure filed to the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited that the rights issue received the approval of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
It advised shareholders “to contact their stockbrokers and/or financial advisors for further information regarding the offer.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said it would release two inflation readings for December after a methodological change led the headline rate to more than double.
This was disclosed during a virtual stakeholders engagement convened by the NBS and the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) on Monday.
The stats office explained that the expected spike in inflation is driven by technical base effects linked to the recent rebasing of the inflation series rather than changes in economic fundamentals.
According to the Statistician-General and chief executive of the NBS, Mr Adeyemi Adeniran, the inflation data due on Thursday, January 15 are projected to show an artificially spiked rate of 31.2 per cent last month, from 14.5 per cent in November. However, to provide transparency, the agency will take the unusual step of publishing both the headline rate that reflects economic fundamentals and the inflated figure.
Mr Adeniran explained that the projected December spike stems from the rebasing of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) which adopted 2024 as the new base year after a 15-year gap from the previous 2009 base.
He emphasised that base effects are a common feature of statistical practice, particularly in index-based measurements.
“Following the rebasing exercise and the methodology adopted for December 2025, a significant artificial spike in the inflation rate is expected, as some analysts have already projected. This spike arises from the base effect, with December 2024 equated to 100 following the rebasing.
“Base effects are common in statistical practice, particularly when comparing data across periods with unusually high or low prices. They are neither unexpected nor unusual.
“However, when such effects occur, especially when they are artificial and arithmetic rather than reflective of structural changes in the economy, it is essential to clearly communicate and explain them to users,” he stated.
“Transparency requires that we provide a clear picture of actual price changes rather than simply reporting an artificial spike that does not reflect economic realities. This is why we convened this meeting to inform our critical stakeholders and users of our data,” he added.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Terrahaptix, a Nigerian autonomous systems startup, has raised $11.75 million in a round that will see it boost drone manufacturing to tackle violent extremism spreading across Africa.
The funding round was led by 8VC founded by the co-founder of Palantir Technologies Inc., Mr Joe Lonsdale. Other investors include Valor Equity Partners, Lux Capital, SV Angel, Leblon Capital GmbH, Silent Ventures LLC, Nova Global and angel investors including Mr Meyer Malka — the managing partner of Ribbit Capital.
Terrahaptix, founded by Mr Nathan Nwachukwu and Mr Maxwell Maduka, will use the new funding to expand Terra’s manufacturing capacity as it expands into cross-border security and counter-terrorism.
The company based in Abuja produces long- and mid-range drones, autonomous sentry towers and unmanned ground vehicles to help secure infrastructure assets valued at about $11 billion across Africa, including hydropower plants in Nigeria, as well as gold- and lithium-mining operations in Ghana.
In June last year, the firm beat an Israeli company to secure a $1.2 million security contract to deploy AI-powered drones and sentry towers at two hydroelectric power plants in Nigeria, awarded by a private security firm, Nethawk Solutions.
According to Mr Nwachukwu, the CEO of Terrahaptix, the rising spate of insecurity must be tackle as the continent continues to industrialize its economy.
“Africa is industrializing faster than any other region, with new mines, refineries and power plants emerging every month,” he said, “But none of that progress will matter if we don’t solve the continent’s greatest Achilles’ heel, which is insecurity and terrorism.”
“Our mission is to give Africa the technological edge to protect its industrial future and defeat terrorism.” Mr Nwanchuku added.
On his part, Mr Maduka, the company’s co-founder and CTO, also reinforced the company’s commitment to the continent by saying, “This is African technology, built by African engineers, for African infrastructure. We are creating skilled jobs, building advanced manufacturing capacity, and ensuring the intellectual property behind Africa’s security stays on the continent.”
The need for security has risen in recent years as groups such as Islamic State and al-Qaeda are gaining ground in Africa, converging along a swathe of territory that stretches from Mali to Nigeria.
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