Over 700 small business owners gathered in Lagos over the weekend with hundreds joining virtually for the 8th Caladium Lagos SME Bootcamp, a major capacity-building event designed to strengthen small enterprises navigating Nigeria's tough economic climate.
This year's edition, held at a time when entrepreneurs face shrinking margins and higher operating costs, focused on the most urgent challenges confronting SMEs: intellectual property theft, funding constraints, and the struggle for brand visibility in congested digital markets.
SMEDAN figures show that SMEs contribute 48% of Nigeria's GDP and 84% of the jobs nationwide, yet many still battle inadequate capital, weak legal structures, and limited market positioning.
Co-Founder and Convener, Ayo Bankole Akintujoye, said the bootcamp was created to bridge the knowledge and network gap limiting small businesses.
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"Eight years ago, Oluwaseun Durojaiye and I started this journey with a simple belief: small businesses deserve access to the same quality of insights and networks that larger corporations enjoy," he said.
Speakers across three plenaries tackled core SME pain points.
In the legal and financial session, Oyinkansola 'Foza' Fawehinmi, Isah Yusuf Aruwa, and Todimu Ige stressed proper documentation and intellectual property protection. Fawehinmi warned that many entrepreneurs lose revenue simply because they fail to register their creative assets and business identity.
The second plenary focused on market visibility, with Edward Israel-Ayide, Adebayo Adegun, Mobolaji Ajayi, and Suraj Oyewole guiding SMEs on leveraging overlooked marketing assets to build trust and attract customers.
The final panel, led by Godwin Tom of Sony Music Publishing Nigeria and Ashley Immanuel of Semicolon, emphasized business model adaptation, leadership, and sustainability in an unpredictable economy.
The event also featured a marketplace exhibition hosting over 75 small businesses and a pitch competition where three entrepreneurs received grant support.
Since its launch in 2018, the Caladium SME Community has trained and supported more than 10,000 entrepreneurs through its bootcamps and development programmes.
