By Onwa Ekor
Cross River has reaffirmed its drive to unlock market access and innovation-led growth for small businesses following its participation at the GROW Nigerian: National MSME Conference 2026.
The conference held from November 8 to 10 at the Ecobank Pan African Centre (EPAC), Victoria Island, Lagos was organised by the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) in partnership with GIZ, hosted by the Lagos government and co-hosted by Ecobank.
The Cross River delegation was led by Director-General of the Cross River Microfinance and Enterprise Development Agency (CRSMEDA), Great Ogban.
Ogban engaged federal policymakers, development partners and private-sector leaders on frameworks to boost subnational enterprise competitiveness.
Themed “The Next Frontier for Innovation, Policy and Market Access,” the conference brought together thousands of entrepreneurs, investors and government officials across five tracks: Finance and Capital Access, Markets and Export Readiness, Policy and Business Environment, Digital Adoption and Technology, and Workforce Solutions.
Dignitaries at the event included the Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan Enoh; DG of SMEDAN, Charles Odii; Executive Director/CEO of NEPC, Mrs. Nonye Ayeni; MD/CEO of NSITF, Oluwaseun Faleye; Lagos Commissioner for Commerce, Folashade Bada Ambrose-Medebem; and Executive Chairman of Agege LGA, Hon. Abdulganiyu Vinod Obasa.
Speaking on the sidelines, Ogban said the participation reflects the Prince Bassey Otu administration’s resolve to connect local MSMEs to national value chains, export support and institutional financing.
“Platforms like GROW Nigerian are vital because they bring subnational agencies directly into the room where national regulatory, financing and trade policies are shaped,” he said.
“For Cross River, our priority is ensuring that regulatory reliefs, digital tools and market linkages discussed here translate into tangible growth for our local entrepreneurs, agro-processors and creative businesses,” Ogban added.
