Union Bank has partnered with Connect Nigeria to launch a campaign meant for honouring the top 100 emerging small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the country.
This was announced at a business fair for SMEs which held recently at the Eko Hotel & Suites in Lagos.
The business fair featured a large gathering of SMEs in Africa, bringing together business owners, startup founders and aspiring entrepreneurs.
The top 100 emerging SMEs campaign aims to “identifying, honouring and supporting Nigeria’s leading upcoming SMEs who maintain ethical business practices and thrive despite the challenging business environment.”
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Speaking about the initiative, Paul Aseme, head of retail segments, Union Bank said: “As a bank that recently crossed the century mark, we are committed to supporting the growth of Nigerian businesses so they can also be profitable and sustainable in the long term.
“We will continue supporting the SME sector which we recognize is a vital part of the Nigerian economy.
“Through this project, we intend to acknowledge and celebrate upcoming SMEs whose hard work and persistence deserve to be recognised.”
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Also speaking at the launch, Emeka Okafor, chief executive officer, Connect Nigeria, said the selection criteria for participating SMEs will be thorough and will cut across different sectors of the economy.
“The top 100 SMEs, is a project aimed at amplifying the best from the SME segment in Nigeria,” he said.
“Through diligent research, we hope to present the most authentic list of top 100 emerging businesses from different industries.
“We are pleased that Union Bank is partnering with us on this which is a clear indication of their commitment to the sector and to Nigeria as a whole.”
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Criteria to be considered in selecting the top SMEs will include “innovation, scalability, business feasibility, market opportunity, reach and revenue.”
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