At the 2025 Kano International Trade Fair, Dangote Group has taken a bold step by deepening its support for micro, small, and medium enterprises (SMEs), offering them a vital platform to grow. The company is a major sponsor of the event, which is expected to host over 1,000 exhibitors from Nigeria and abroad. Anthony Chiejina, the Group Chief Branding & Communication Officer, highlighted that “Kano is central to our overall businesses, and it is the hub of commerce, not only in Nigeria, but in Africa.”
One of the most tangible ways Dangote is supporting SMEs is by providing dedicated help desks throughout the fair. These desks are staffed by its subsidiaries, offering entrepreneurs direct access to its business units to explore partnerships, access new markets, and discuss possible collaborations.
In keeping with the fair’s theme, “Empowering SMEs for Sustainable Growth,” Dangote’s Senior Adviser on Special Projects & Strategic Relations, Fatima Wali-Abdurrahman, stated: “Through our sponsorship of Kano Trade Fair, we seek to empower micro small, and medium enterprises with opportunities to showcase their products, connect with potential partners, and access new markets, ultimately strengthening the nation’s economic growth.”
Beyond its SME engagement, Dangote is using the fair to roll out new sugar pack sizes, a 100-gram option for retail consumers and a hefty 25-kilogram bag for bulk buyers to meet growing market demand.
Strategically, Dangote is aligning this initiative with its broader industrial goals. The group is developing a network of rice milling plants across northern Nigeria in Kano, Jigawa, Zamfara, Niger, Kebbi, and Sokoto, with a combined capacity of 1.5 million tonnes per annum. This, Mr. Chiejina said, supports national food security efforts.
The Kano Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (KACCIMA), led by Ambassador Hassan Usman Darma, endorsed Dangote as a core partner. The Chamber noted that this year’s trade fair stands out due to significant infrastructure upgrades, expansion efforts, and a strengthened focus on SME development, backward integration, and skills transfer.
From an economic standpoint, Dangote’s commitment is more than corporate sponsorship; it’s a forward-looking investment. By nurturing SMEs, it’s helping to diversify Nigeria’s economy, reduce import dependence, and stimulate local value chains.
Dangote’s SME-focused support at the Kano fair contributes directly to Nigeria’s economic diversification, helping small businesses scale, increasing local production, and reducing import reliance. This strategy can boost domestic value creation, drive job growth, and strengthen backward integration, all of which support long-term, sustainable economic development.
