The bank pairs finance designed for the realities of small business with the advisory clinics, masterclasses and trade fairs that help owners formalise and expand.

On World MSME Day 2026, that commitment is best captured by the entrepreneurs it has supported, toward actualising their goals, among them Aminat Odunyombo.

Asked what stood between her and the business she set out to build, Odunyombo did not hesitate. “We needed money,” she said.

The Cost of Entry

Coming from a humble background, Odunyombo found that the obstacle to building Triple A Golden Ltd was never vision or appetite for work, but the capital the work demanded.

Distribution is a capital-intensive trade, and a distributorship for Nigerian Breweries sits at its most demanding end, requiring substantial premises, vehicles and working capital before any partnership can be considered.

Recalling those early days, she said,

“This business really, really needs money. Before you can be a Nigeria brewery distributor, you need a big space, two vans and big money. They won’t just have you as their distributor.”

Her words captured a barrier that ends many ventures before they begin, with distributors required to demonstrate capacity before they are granted the opportunity to build it.

For an entrepreneur without inherited capital or a ready guarantor, those requirements often prove decisive, and many capable founders are unable to meet them.

What distinguished Odunyombo’s path was the banking partner she found in UBA, which supported her at the outset and continued to do so as the business expanded.

A Partner Comes Looking

That relationship began in 2021.

“I have been banking with UBA since 2021, and they have been so supportive,” she said. “They have been coming to me.” What she described was not a single facility but a continuing relationship, with the Bank anticipating her needs rather than waiting to be approached. “As our needs grew and our business expanded, they were there,” she added.

That support is evident in the scale of the business today. From a single-handed start, Triple A Golden Ltd now operates a fleet and team comprising three delivery vehicles, four delivery assistants, two off-road trucks, a dedicated stock vehicle and a cashier.

Each addition marked a stage of growth made possible by working capital that arrived when the business required it.

In a distribution business, the timing of finance is critical, as a distributor unable to pay for stock at the start of a busy period forfeits the sale. Access to funding at the right moment therefore often determines whether a small enterprise stagnates or expands.

For Odunyombo, gratitude and ambition sit side by side.

“Every day, I’m thankful for where I am. I never imagined I’d reach this point,” she said. She regards the present as a stage in a longer journey rather than a destination. “I’m still working very hard, and I still see myself going to a very high level in this business,” she added.

A Day for Small Business

Odunyombo’s experience reflects the purpose of World MSME Day, observed each year on 27 June since 2017 in recognition of the micro, small and medium enterprises that constitute the majority of the global economy. The United Nations estimates that such businesses account for more than 90 per cent of all enterprises, between 60 and 70 per cent of employment and about half of global output. This year’s observance is held under a focus on human-centred entrepreneurship and access to affordable finance, the very challenge that defined Odunyombo’s early years.

The challenge is especially pronounced in Nigeria, where small enterprises account for a significant share of employment and household income yet frequently struggle to obtain affordable credit. For many, access to finance on workable terms is the single factor that determines whether a promising business expands or stalls.

Standing With the Small

Addressing that gap is central to UBA’s work. The Bank’s small-business offering ranges from accounts tailored to micro, small and medium enterprises, through working capital facilities of up to fifty million naira, to asset finance for the vehicles and equipment that growing businesses require, with concessionary rates for women-owned enterprises.

UBA’s commitment extends beyond its own balance sheet, with 6 billion dollars pledged to small and medium enterprises across Africa, a 100 million dollar guarantee partnership with the African Guarantee Fund, and a 5 billion naira fund from the Bank of Industry to widen affordable lending, with particular attention to women-led and green businesses.

The Bank pairs that funding with capacity building, including SME masterclasses, advisory clinics, an annual summit and trade fairs that help owners formalise and grow. For a customer such as Odunyombo, the combination of responsive finance and proactive support has been central to her progress.

Speaking on the Bank’s commitment to small businesses, Oliver Alawuba, UBA’s group managing director/chief executive officer, made a heartfelt case for the entrepreneurs at the heart of Africa’s economy. “When I think about what UBA is for, I think about people like Aminat.

She brought the courage and the discipline, and what she needed was a partner who believed in her before the figures were large.

“That is the bank we have always sought to be, one that supports the small business owner through every season of growth, because when our customers rise, their families and communities rise with them.

The micro, small and medium enterprises of this continent are not a market segment to us; they are family, and we are proud to stand with them,” he said.

His remarks reflected a conviction that informs UBA’s approach to the sector, namely that a bank should support a customer well before that customer becomes a significant account, and build relationships that grow with the businesses it serves.

Speaking on the Bank’s strategy, Alero Ladipo, UBA’s group head, Brands, Marketing and Corporate Communications, described it as both commercial and social.

“Small businesses are the engine of Africa’s economy, and supporting them is sound business as well as the right thing to do. Our model is to anticipate rather than react, giving entrepreneurs the working capital, asset finance and advisory support to move from survival to scale, and we measure our success by theirs,” she said.

Her comments reflected a strategy that regards small business as central to UBA’s long-term franchise rather than a peripheral concern. The support extended to Triple A Golden Ltd forms part of a broader commitment that places the Customer First, combining accessible finance, practical advisory and a close understanding of the businesses the Bank serves.

Only the Beginning

For Odunyombo, the next stage is already in view, with plans to grow the business further. On a day dedicated to the world’s small enterprises, her progress shows what becomes possible when entrepreneurial ambition is matched by the right financial support.

“I never imagined I’d reach this point,” she said. For UBA, ensuring that more entrepreneurs across Africa can say the same remains the purpose behind World MSME Day.

The post World MSME Day 2026: ‘UBA Helped me Grow My Business’, Aminat Odunyombo tells her Story appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

This, according to him, is critical if the South Eastern region of the country is to unlock its long-term development agenda under the South-East Vision 2050 (S8V2050).

Alawuba made the call while delivering a goodwill remark at the South-East Vision 2050 Regional Stakeholder Forum which was held at the International Conference Centre, Enugu on Wednesday.

The multi-day forum was convened by the South-East Development Commission (SEDC) in collaboration with the Office of the Vice President, the Ministry of Regional Development and the South-East State Governments, to build consensus around a shared development pathway for the region and advance implementation-ready interventions aligned with national priorities.

Speaking in his capacity as GMD/CEO as well as the Chairman of the Body of Banks’ CEOs and on behalf of Corporate Nigeria, Alawuba identified peace and security as the most urgent requirement for attracting investment into the region, noting that safety remains the first signal investors assess before committing capital.

“The first thing the South-East needs is peace. It is an established fact, world over, that investments flow in the direction of safety,” Alawuba stated, urging state governments and regional leaders to sustain coordinated efforts to secure lives, assets and infrastructure.

He also challenged stakeholders to adopt a results-driven partnership model between government and the private sector; just as he noted that the success of the South-East Vision 2050 will largely depend on the region’s ability to articulate and package clear, measurable and value-adding projects capable of attracting long-term capital.

“Vision alone is not enough. The South-East must present specific, bankable projects with defined impact – projects that can unlock investment, create jobs and deliver real improvements in the lives of our people,” Alawuba stated.

The Forum brought together prominent Nigerians from across government and the private sector, including His Excellency, Senator Kashim Shettima, GCON, Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Governors of the South-East States (Imo, Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu), Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members of the House of Representatives.

Other key participants included the Honourable Minister of Regional Development, the Chairman, Board Members and Management of SEDC, Royal Fathers and members of the clergy, members of the Diplomatic Corps, captains of industry, and development partners.

The UBA CEO took time to commend the South-East Governors for visible progress in road construction and other critical facilities across the region, while calling for accelerated delivery at scale.

He said,

“Infrastructure is the bedrock of development,” he said. “We have seen improvements, but a little bit more is required such as reliable power, motorable roads, rail, water and connectivity to remove the bottlenecks that limit productivity and competitiveness.”

While stressing the importance of creating a truly investor-friendly business environment and unlocking diaspora capital to drive inclusive growth, he added that “Capital will always respond to predictability, ease of doing business and confidence. If we get the fundamentals right, Corporate Nigeria and the banking industry will rally round to finance viable projects, support SMEs, create jobs for our youth and mobilize long-term capital to make South-East Vision 2050 a reality.”

He seized the opportunity to reaffirm UBA’s readiness to partner the SEDC and South-East State Governments, as he noted that the Vision 2050 framework will be strengthened by private-sector participation and long-term capital mobilization to ensure it remains credible and investable.

United Bank for Africa is one of the largest employers in the financial sector on the African continent, with 25,000 employees group-wide and serving over 45 million customers globally.

Operating in twenty African countries, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, France and the United Arab Emirates, UBA provides retail, commercial and institutional banking services, leading financial inclusion and implementing cutting-edge technology.

The post UBA’s Oliver Alawuba Outlines Strategy for South-East Economic Transformation appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.