By Helen Oji 
• Warns influencers against risky meme coins, unlicensed platforms

To ease financing constraints faced by small businesses in Nigeria, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) are joining forces to launch nationwide enlightenment campaigns focused on capital market financing for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).
 
The collaboration was unveiled during a strategic meeting in Abuja, yesterday, to equip small businesses with the tools, knowledge and access needed to raise long-term capital through market-based instruments such as equities, bonds and crowdfunding.
  
SEC also warned celebrities and influencers against endorsing or promoting unregistered digital asset platforms and meme coins. Director-General of SEC, Dr Emomotimi Agama, said the initiative aligns with the mandate of the commission’s newly established Office of Small Business Advocacy (OSBA), which serves as a bridge between the capital market and SMEs seeking funding.
 
“SMEs make up over 90 per cent of businesses in Nigeria, yet most struggle to access affordable financing. Through this partnership with SMEDAN, we aim to change that narrative,” he said.
 
Under the alliance, SEC and SMEDAN will co-brand financial literacy content, create SME investment-readiness toolkits, and share reliable SME data to drive targeted outreach and market segmentation. 
 
The agencies also plan to co-host a National SME Capital Market Summit later in the year to showcase alternative funding avenues available through the capital market.
 
Agama emphasised inclusive capital formation as crucial to unlocking Nigeria’s entrepreneurial potential.
 
“The capital market is the engine room of any economy. Without access to long-term funding, businesses can’t scale. This partnership is about building the right frameworks to change that,” he noted.
 
SEC’s Executive Commissioner for Legal and Enforcement, Ms Frana Chukwuogor, pointed out that recent regulatory reforms now make it easier for SMEs to raise funds through debt or equity instruments under the capital market’s supervision.

On his part, SMEDAN’s Director-General, Charles Odii, described the alliance as a potential ‘game-changer’ for the informal sector.
 
“By exposing SMEs to non-traditional funding sources, we can drive sustainable scaling and formalisation,” he said.  SEC’s warning to influencers came amid the sudden closure of CBEX crypto trading platform.
 
It was reported yesterday that aggrieved ‘investors’ looted the office of Smart Treasure (ST Team), an arm of the CBEX in the Oke Ado axis of Ibadan, Oyo State.
  
Addressing the promotion of unregistered digital asset platforms and meme coins. Agama cited the provisions of the Investments and Securities Act 2025 recently signed by President Bola Tinubu. He said the Act established clear rules and regulations for digital asset platforms, including registration requirements to promote transparency and trust.