Koko Maxwella 
NEXIM Bank MD, Abubakar Bello
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) plans to expand affordable financing for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to drive export growth and ease borrowing costs.
Managing Director, NEXIM, Abubakar Abba Bello announced the initiative during the SME Export Finance Sensitisation Forum (EXCEL Programme) in Abuja, organised with GIZ Nigeria under the SEDIN programme.
Bello said commercial interest rates of 30% remain “unsustainable for small businesses.” He added, “Access to affordable credit is critical. Our goal is to make SMEs more bankable and investment ready.”
He revealed new financing instruments such as the SME Export Facility (SMEEF) and Women & Youth Export Facility (WAYEF), alongside NEXA, a digital export platform.
“MSMEs drive 48% of Nigeria’s GDP and employ 87.9% of the workforce, yet over half cannot access finance,” Bello noted.
NEXIM plans to onboard SMEs onto the African Trade Gateway (ATG) to boost cross-border trade and payment efficiency.
“Our mission is to unlock Nigeria’s export potential through inclusive finance and innovation,” he said.
About the Author
Hussaini Ibrahim 
Mirian Gom 
Chukwu Obinna