Fidelity Bank Rallies Support for Northern SMEs at Kano Business Forum

Fidelity Bank Rallies Support for Northern SMEs at Kano Business Forum

 L-R: Executive Director, North, Fidelity Bank Plc, Mr Sufiyanu Garba; Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, I.G. Best Company, Mr. Okereke Ignatus Mmbonye; and Divisional Head, SME Banking, Fidelity Bank Plc, Mrs Ugochi Osinigwe; at the Fidelity Bank Quarterly Business Forum held in Kano recently.

....Fidelity Bank Plc has reaffirmed its commitment to accelerating the growth of small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) in Northern Nigeria, as it hosted entrepreneurs, business owners and industry stakeholders at its Quarterly Business Forum in Kano.

The forum, themed “Positioning Northern Businesses for Growth,” provided a platform for entrepreneurs to discuss practical ways of strengthening business operations, improving access to finance, enhancing financial management and leveraging emerging opportunities for sustainable growth.

Speaking at the event, Executive Director, North, Fidelity Bank Plc, Sufiyanu Garba, described Northern Nigeria as a critical component of the country’s economic future, noting that the region’s agricultural resources, trading activities, manufacturing capacity and large consumer market offer significant opportunities for economic expansion.

Garba said the bank was committed to helping businesses in the region unlock their potential through financing, market access, advisory services and strategic partnerships.

“The North occupies a critical place in Nigeria’s economic future. With its vast agricultural resources, strong trading culture, manufacturing capacity and large consumer market, the region has enormous potential for sustainable economic growth,” he said.

According to him, Fidelity Bank’s Quarterly Business Forum reflects its approach to supporting businesses beyond the provision of credit.

He explained that the bank seeks to serve as a strategic partner to businesses by providing not only financing but also knowledge, connections and solutions needed to build sustainable enterprises.

“Supporting businesses is central to our purpose, and our ambition is to be more than a provider of funds. We want to be a trusted partner that understands businesses and provides the financing, knowledge, connections and solutions they need to grow,” Garba added.

Also speaking, Divisional Head, SME Banking, Fidelity Bank Plc, Ugochi Osinigwe, said the forum was established to create direct engagement between the bank and entrepreneurs while providing an avenue to better understand the challenges confronting businesses across different sectors.

Osinigwe described the initiative as a listening platform designed to deepen relationships with entrepreneurs and develop solutions that respond to their specific needs.

She said Fidelity Bank’s support for SMEs goes beyond conventional banking services, covering products, advisory support, capacity building and strategic partnerships aimed at helping businesses establish, scale and remain sustainable.

The SME Banking executive also highlighted the bank’s efforts to reduce the cost of doing business through zero-maintenance-fee account offerings and free capacity-building programmes.

According to her, the training programmes are designed to equip entrepreneurs with practical knowledge in areas including business structuring, record keeping, financial management and accessing finance.

“We invest significantly in training because many SMEs struggle due to limited knowledge of essential business practices. Through our physical and digital learning platforms, we help entrepreneurs develop the skills required to become more structured, sustainable and bankable,” she said.

Participants at the Kano forum commended Fidelity Bank for providing an avenue for meaningful interaction between entrepreneurs and the financial sector.

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of I.G. Best Company, Okereke Ignatus Mmbonye, said the bank’s contribution to SME development extends beyond providing access to credit.

“Fidelity Bank has demonstrated that its commitment to SMEs goes beyond access to credit. Platforms such as this provide valuable knowledge and connections that can make a real difference to growing businesses,” he said.

Similarly, Managing Director of Nabila Oil Mills, Sufiyanu Salisu Ahmad, commended the bank for creating opportunities for direct engagement with members of the business community.

“I appreciate Fidelity Bank for creating this platform to engage directly with entrepreneurs and understand the challenges we face. It is encouraging to see a bank take such a practical approach to supporting businesses,” Ahmad said.

The Quarterly Business Forum forms part of Fidelity Bank’s broader strategy to strengthen Nigeria’s SME ecosystem through access to finance, enterprise development, financial education, financial inclusion and strategic business support.

The bank’s efforts in the SME segment have also attracted industry recognition. Fidelity Bank recently received the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) Service Ambassadors Award for the Highest Impact on MSMEs Accessing Credit for the First Time, in recognition of its contribution to expanding financial inclusion, improving access to credit and supporting enterprise development.

Fidelity Bank Plc is a full-fledged commercial deposit money bank with more than 10 million customers, served through its digital banking channels and 255 business offices across Nigeria, as well as its United Kingdom subsidiary, FidBank UK Limited.

The bank has received several local and international recognitions, including the 2025 DBN Innovation Award for MSME Support, Best Retail and SME Bank Award from Independent Newspapers, Best Bank for Export & Trade Finance and Most Innovative Bank of the Year at the 2025 BusinessDay Banks and Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards, and Nigeria’s Best Private Bank at the 2025 Euromoney Awards.

It also received the inaugural Most Improved Commercial Bank of the Year Award from Nairametrics, SME Bank of the Year Award from NewsDirect, the Straight-Through Processing Excellence Award from Citi Group and recognition from Global Brands Magazine for Excellence in Community Empowerment.