Omo, this one na serious matter wey dey happen, my people! World Bank dey ready to approve $500 million loan for Nigeria today to help our small businesses flex their muscles. This loan no be small thing o!

The project wey dem dey call Fostering Inclusive Finance for MSMEs (FINCLUDE) go focus on helping micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) for Naija to get better access to finance. As e be, dis loan dey plan to mobilize private capital and promote new financial products wey go fit help our small businesses shine.

The board of the World Bank Group go approve am today, and if dem give the green light, na $500 million dem go drop for the project, wey total cost na $2.39 billion, mad O! Out of this amount, $400 million go come from di International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, while $100 million na from di International Development Association. Na di Federal Government go borrow this money, and na di Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) go handle di money.

The plan na to provide innovative finance products wey go help dey safe for MSMEs, plus dem go use partial credit guarantees to collect money from private lenders. Dem also go dey give technical assistance to make sure say di finance ecosystem for MSME modernize and digitize well-well.

World Bank don sabi say Nigeria dey face serious economic changes, with reforms wey dey remove fuel and forex subsidies and unify exchange rates. Dem don already see di effects, as inflation don reduce to 18% as of September 2025. Na di IMF still dey predict say real GDP growth go hit 3.9% for 2025, which na good news for us!

But e no end there o! Despite di positive changes, access to finance still dey hard for MSMEs, especially for women and di agriculture sector. Agriculture only dey collect just over 5% of total bank credit for 2024, and dem dey face high interest rates no let dem collect better loans.

If dem approve this FINCLUDE loan, e go join other World Bank initiatives wey dey help Nigeria. As of June 30, 2025, Nigeria external debt don hit $46.98 billion, with World Bank dey hold about $19.39 billion of that. Na dem dey help carry our economy waka forward, and currently, Nigeria na di largest IDA borrower for Africa.

Economists dey talk say even though dis kind loans dey help development, e go need proper management and utilization, or else e fit turn to wahala for the future. One Lagos economist, Adewale Abimbola, talk say wetin matter be how well dem go use di borrowed money to create sustainable growth and improve our public services.

So my people, make we dey watch as dis approval go land later today. Naija small businesses dey ready to shine, and this loan fit be di ticket wey dem need to break through!