The Director-General of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Charles Odii, has called on entrepreneurs and key stakeholders to embrace the Inspire–Create–Start–Scale (ICSS) programme as a catalyst for business growth and economic impact in Nigeria. He made this appeal at the launch of the ICSS4ALL programme, an entrepreneurship development initiative aimed at supporting Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) from ideation through growth to market access.
The programme, developed by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) in collaboration with SMEDAN and Kaduna Business School through GOPA Consultancy, provides a structured pathway for enterprise development. Odii urged prospective entrepreneurs to utilize the ICSSLearn platform, partner organizations, and the ICSS Institute, which now offer a nationwide framework for business development.
He also called on government institutions at federal, state, and local levels to integrate ICSS into their MSME programmes, and urged financial institutions to align lending products with the improved risk profile of certified entrepreneurs. “To our ICSS alumni, what you have earned is real and recognized. The GROW Fund and the ICSSLearn platform exist to build on the foundation you have laid. Stay connected to this ecosystem, access the financing you now qualify for, and scale your businesses. Your progress is the programme’s most powerful evidence,” Odii stated.
He further emphasized that ICSS graduates are structured, documented, and prepared, urging financial institutions to develop products and financing windows that reflect this change. The SMEDAN boss noted that while over 14,000 entrepreneurs have already been trained, the programme is still in its early stages, with ambitions to scale nationally through institutionalization, digital learning, and expanded financing.
New data presented at the event highlights the early impact of the ICSS framework. It has reached over 42,250 individuals across six states, created 17,967 jobs—with women accounting for 60%—and strengthened ecosystem capacity with more than 380 trainers, facilitators, and coaches, along with about 100 master trainers, deployed through over 40 partner organizations. This comes against the backdrop of Nigeria’s MSME landscape, where small businesses account for about 97% of enterprises, nearly 90% of employment, and close to half of GDP, yet remain constrained by limited access to finance, fragmented training systems, and weak market linkages.
Markus Wagner, Country Director of GIZ Nigeria, said the ICSS framework was designed to address these structural gaps by creating a standardized pathway from business ideation to scale. He noted that while MSMEs are central to innovation and job creation, many entrepreneurs lack access to structured support systems, limiting their ability to grow sustainably. Wagner highlighted that the programme’s impact is reflected not only in participation numbers but also in the development of a sustainable network of trainers and institutions capable of delivering entrepreneurship support nationwide. He added that the ICSSLearn digital platform is expected to expand access further, particularly among young Nigerians increasingly relying on digital tools for business development.
Industry stakeholders observed that the absence of standardization in entrepreneurship training has historically weakened the bankability of MSMEs, as financial institutions lacked reliable benchmarks to assess creditworthiness. They argued that integrating training, certification, and financing through initiatives such as the ICSS Institute and the GROW Fund could help bridge this gap by producing entrepreneurs better prepared for formal financial systems.
The ICSS programme, developed by GIZ in collaboration with SMEDAN and partners including Kaduna Business School, is being positioned as a national standard for entrepreneurship development. The ICSS4ALL convening, held on April 21 and 22 in Abuja, brought together government agencies, development partners, financial institutions, and private sector actors to review progress and drive adoption of the framework. With policymakers moving to embed ICSS into the National MSME Policy, analysts say the initiative’s success will depend on sustained institutional commitment, policy alignment, and the willingness of financial institutions to translate improved enterprise capacity into increased lending. The event stressed that for Nigeria, where MSMEs underpin livelihoods and economic resilience, the scale and effectiveness of such reforms could prove decisive in converting entrepreneurial activity into broad-based growth.
