Access to finance remains one of the major constraints for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria to scale up operations and actualize growth potential. However, beyond traditional sources like loans and equity financing, grants offered by government agencies and private institutions provide unique opportunities for Nigerian entrepreneurs to bridge funding gaps and expand productive capacity.
This comprehensive guide provides insights on available grants for MSMEs, eligibility criteria, applying tips and recommendations to help Nigeria business owners maximize grant opportunities for sustainable growth.
Overview of MSME Landscape in Nigeria
MSMEs make up 96% of Nigerian businesses, contribute over 50% of GDP and employ 84% of the labour force highlighting their economic importance. Majority are very young enterprises with 98% aged between 1 – 4 years.
Despite high entrepreneurial drive, MSMEs in Nigeria struggle with myriad challenges especially access to finance to upgrade technology, expand production, embark on marketing and product development among others. Beyond traditional financing options to spur growth, grants provide unique benefits.
Benefits of Accessing Business Grants
- Non-Repayable
Grants do not require repayment unlike loans thereby easing financial burden. Even counterpart funding ratios required are negligible. This facilitates asset investments without repayment concerns.
- Supports Innovation
Grant emphasis on research, feasibility studies, prototyping, commercialization enables creation of innovative products, processes and technologies.
- Facilitates Adoption of New Solutions
Grants make it affordable for MSMEs to implement pioneering ideas e.g. renewable energy, waste recycling, e-commerce platforms to gain competitive edge.
- Boosts Technical Capacities
Most grants are accompanied with mentoring support, training workshops to strengthen administrative, financial and technical skills.
- Attracts Additional Financing
Benefitting from a competitive grant builds credibility making it easier to obtain additional funding from investors, lenders and partners.
Types of Business Grants in Nigeria
There exists a variety of grant schemes for MSMEs funded by government agencies, private sector partnerships and international donor organizations focused on different thematic areas including:
- Feasibility Study & Pilot Grants
Supports market research, product testing to assess commercial viability of innovative solutions before scale up.
- Working Capital Grants
Provides funding for inventory purchases, operational expenses to ease cash crunch challenges facing MSMEs.
- Asset Acquisition Grants
Subsidizes purchase of equipment, tools, machinery, software etc to spur production and efficiency.
- Technology Incubation Grants
Backs innovators on training, product development, patenting, licensing to commercialize technology solutions.
- Cluster/Shared Facility Grants
Enables MSMEs within a geographic area or industry to utilize shared machinery, warehousing at subsidized rates.
- Skills Development & Productivity Grants
Supports workforce training programs to enhance skills gaps and optimization of processes.
- Marketing & Branding Grants
Funds product promotions through digital marketing channels, exhibitions, to amplify reach.
- Research & Development Grants
Finances industry-academia collaborative projects focused on solving sectoral challenges through technical innovations.
Eligibility Criteria for MSME Business Grants
Every grant category and issuing institution stipulates qualification guidelines. However, some common criteria for Nigerian MSMEs to meet before applying include:
- Registration Status
Must be a registered business entity with valid CAC registration paperwork including certificate of incorporation, memorandum and article of association etc.
- Location
Only organizations operating within stipulated focus geopolitical zones or state jurisdictions qualify depending on grant source
- Ownership Profile
Some grants specifically target youth or women owned/managed businesses within defined age brackets.
- Years in Operation
Certain grants are restricted to startups less than 3 years post-incorporation while others require minimum number of years in operation.
- Size of Workforce
MSMEs need to indicate current staff size which conforms to micro/small scale thresholds such as less than 50 employees.
- Financial Records
Audited financial reports for past years demonstrating cash flows, sales and asset base to ascertain stability & growth orientation of the enterprise.
- Tax Compliance
Evidence of relevant tax clearance certifications & filings including Company Income Tax, VAT registration and other levies are required.
Top Nigerian Government Agencies that offer Grants
The major government ministries, agencies and programs administering various forms of grants to promote MSME growth in Nigeria include:
- Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI)
– Export Expansion Grant (EEG): Promotes exportation and foreign exchange earnings by Nigerian firms. Covers costs like training, market research, product development etc.
– Raw Materials Research Development Council (RMRDC): Supports projects on raw material utilization & localization under its Competitiveness Programs.
- Federal Ministry of Science & Technology (FMST)
– National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP): Implements Technology Business Incubation programs and Innovation Patent & Commercialization program to aid young innovators and tech ventures.
– National Board for Technology Incubation (NBTI): Runs technology incubation centers providing infrastructure, training, and product development support.
- Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)
– MSMEDF: Provides intervention loans and grants to boost production capacity, standards compliance, and job creation.
– Creative Industry Financing Initiative (CIFI): Offers low cost financing including grants specifically tailored for music, movies, IT startups, fashion companies to stimulate job creation.
- Nigerian Content Development Board (NCDMB)
– R&D Intervention Fund: Finances research and development of homegrown solutions with cost implications savings by indigenous oil and gas companies.
- Bank of Industry (BOI)
– Cottage Agro Processing Fund: Equips agro-processing MSMEs with machinery and equipment via redemption fund structure requiring no repayment.
– Fashion Fund: Supports fashion entrepreneurs with equipment grants alongside subsidized loans towards working capital and production facility expansion costs.
Other Grant Opportunities for Nigerian Businesses
Aside government agencies, other private sector actors and development agencies administer special intervention funds, challenge prizes, and technical assistance programs from which Nigerian MSMEs can benefit.
- A) Private Sector Led Schemes
– YouWIN!: Private–Public sector collaboration providing grants, training for young entrepreneurs to grow and create jobs.
– Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Program: Provides $5000 in seed capital, mentoring and access to investor networks to African entrepreneurs with jobs and revenue growth targets.
– NITDA National Startup Clinic: Offers free workspace, cloud credits, legal & marketing support services for young technology focused firms to scale business models.
- B) International Donor & Development Financed Projects
- GEMS Program: USAID and Buhari administration collaboration targeting increased self-employment and job creation opportunities for Nigerian youth.
- EMPRETEC Women Economic Empowerment Program: Partnership between UNCTAD & FIIRO focused on strengthening women led green businesses in Nigeria.
- African Development Bank Affirmative Finance Action for Women (AFAWA): Supports women led small businesses through technical assistance and de-risking to access finance including grants.
Application Tips to Win MSME Business Grants
Pitching a compelling application is pivotal to emerging successful in securing competitive grants. Some key guidelines for Nigerian MSMEs include:
1) Assess Your Eligibility
Compare grant purpose, focus areas, qualifying criteria against your firm’s operations, ideas, and plans to determine alignment.
2) Understand Evaluation Metrics
Study judging parameters spelled out in grant guidelines to identify areas to articulate your strengths e.g. financial management, job creation potential, product uniqueness etc.
3) Prepare Requisite Documentation
Collate all required registration documents, financial records, business plan etc adequately demonstrating capabilities on target criteria.
4) Publish Clear Concept Notes
For project based grants, prepare concept notes and technical presentations clearly justifying how proposed solutions address highlighted problems & development objectives.
5) Outline Realistic activity timeline
Provide well thought activity schedules for grant funded projects factoring key implementation dependencies and risks.
6) Leverage Endorsements
Reference letters from trade groups, past benefactors validating operational experience bolsters grant winning potential.
Common Reasons Nigerian MSME Grant Applications Fail
While a wide array of grants exist for Nigerian businesses, many applications end up unsuccessful due to the following shortcomings:
1) Idea/Solution Misalignment with Grant Objectives
Proposed projects are incongruent with the thematic areas, issues, or activities that the grant is targeted to support.
2) Poor Structuring of Project Concept Notes
Vague problem statements, activities framed without clear developmental outcomes and impact pathway.
3) Weak Demonstration of Technical Expertise
Relevant sector experience, competencies and access to networks needed for project execution not adequately showcased.
4) Unattainable Implementation Plans
Over ambitious timelines, underestimation of risks which affects credibility of execution.
5) Improper Packaging of Support Documents
Key organizational, product development, financial documents not formatted as required in grant guidelines.
6) Unclear Fund Deployment Strategy
Lack of specifics on grant allocation across proposed cost components making assessment of working capital optimization difficult.
Post-Award Implementation Success Factors
Upon winning MSME grants, sound execution strategies positively influence sustainability of funded interventions. Key measures Nigerian entrepreneurs should adopt include:
- Strict Compliance Management
Follow stipulated timelines, monitoring and evaluation protocols to continuously meet qualifying eligibility aspects.
- Transparent Funds Utilization
Proper book keeping enables documenting evidence tied to approved cost items in-line with grantor requirements.
- Regular Progress Updates
Consistency in provided agreed activity reports essential to keep benefactors appraised on challenges, lessons and results for necessary support.
- Develop Co-Funding Channels
Endeavor to secure additional financing to supplement granted amounts through co-investors leveraging enhanced credibility.
- Institutionalise Funded Initiatives
For innovation grants, embed systems to internalise new solutions towards continued usage after grant lifecycle to maximise benefits.
Sustaining Business Growth Beyond Grants
While grants provide unique opportunities for MSMEs to test, develop and optimize ideas and solutions, private sector led innovations require multiple financing sources for long term viability. Some additional strategies Nigerian entrepreneurs can adopt include:
- Venture Capital Investments
Position to attract equity financiers leveraging gained technical experience to scale commercially feasible projects with patient capital.
- Credit Enhancements
Improved company valuation and financial position enables accessing bank loans, overdraft facilities for working capital.
- Revenue Reinvestments
Plough back profits from grant funded market growth, production optimization initiatives into proprietary developments.
- Licensing & Technology Transfer
Using expanded capacities and market access, license or sell full/part proprietary aspects to investors enabling faster regional expansion.
In summary, Nigerian MSMEs face a challenging landscape hampered by resource limitations worsened by the COVID-19 crisis. However, actively targeting and securing different business grants can provide unique benefits helping entrepreneurs implement capabilities strengthening initiatives, innovations and robust solutions to unlock growth, resilience and access to mainstream financing towards scaling impact.