Fidelity Bank to convene Lagos entrepreneurs on sustainable business growth
Fidelity Bank Plc is set to bring together entrepreneurs, business leaders, industry experts and other key stakeholders in Lagos for its Quarterly Business Forum, as part of efforts to strengthen the capacity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to compete and achieve sustainable growth.
The Lagos edition of the forum, themed “Built to Compete: Positioning Lagos Businesses for Sustainable Growth,” is expected to provide a platform for participants to examine the opportunities and challenges confronting businesses operating in the state’s highly competitive commercial environment.
Discussions at the forum will focus on critical issues including business competitiveness, access to finance, market expansion, innovation, digital transformation and strategies for achieving sustainable growth.
The initiative comes against the backdrop of the important role played by SMEs in Nigeria’s economy and the growing need for businesses to develop stronger structures and strategies to withstand economic pressures, expand their markets and remain competitive.
Speaking ahead of the event, Divisional Head, SME Banking at Fidelity Bank Plc, Ugochi E. Osinigwe, said the forum was designed to provide the bank with a better understanding of the needs of entrepreneurs while giving business owners access to practical knowledge and insights.
Osinigwe said access to funding alone was insufficient to guarantee the long-term success of businesses, stressing the importance of knowledge, proper business structures, networks and sound growth strategies.
“Businesses need more than capital to thrive. They require knowledge, structure, networks and the right strategies to compete and grow sustainably,” she said.
According to her, the Quarterly Business Forum would provide entrepreneurs with opportunities to learn from experienced business leaders, exchange ideas and identify practical ways of strengthening their operations.
“Through the Quarterly Business Forum, we are creating a platform for entrepreneurs to learn from experienced business leaders, exchange insights and identify practical opportunities to strengthen their businesses,” Osinigwe added.
The forum is part of Fidelity Bank’s broader SME support strategy, which includes masterclasses and advisory programmes designed to address some of the challenges confronting business owners.
The bank said its SME-focused programmes have covered areas such as pricing, digital growth, business structure, trade and market expansion, with the aim of equipping entrepreneurs with knowledge and tools needed to build more resilient businesses.
The Quarterly Business Forum was established as a strategic engagement platform for entrepreneurs, business leaders, policymakers and industry experts to share practical insights on business development, innovation and sustainability.
Beyond providing a platform for networking, the initiative is intended to facilitate knowledge sharing and help business owners gain a better understanding of emerging opportunities and strategies that can support expansion.
Fidelity Bank said the forum also reflects its commitment to supporting SMEs through a combination of tailored financing, capacity building, advisory services and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
The bank’s approach recognises that sustainable SME development requires more than access to credit, particularly in an environment where businesses face pressures from changing consumer behaviour, technological developments, competition and the broader economic climate.
Through engagements such as the Quarterly Business Forum, Fidelity Bank is seeking to bridge some of these knowledge and capacity gaps by connecting entrepreneurs directly with experts and other stakeholders.
Fidelity Bank Plc is a full-fledged commercial deposit money bank serving more than 10 million customers through digital banking channels and its network of 255 business offices in Nigeria. It also operates in the United Kingdom through its subsidiary, FidBank UK Limited.
The bank has received a number of local and international recognitions for its activities in banking, SME support, innovation and financial services.
Among its recent awards was the 2025 Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) Innovation Award for MSME Support, recognising its contribution to the development of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
The bank also received the Best Retail and SME Bank Award from Independent Newspapers, while at the 2025 BusinessDay Banks and Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards, it was recognised as Best Bank for Export & Trade Finance and Most Innovative Bank of the Year.
Fidelity Bank was further named Nigeria’s Best Private Bank at the 2025 Euromoney Awards.
Other recent recognitions include the inaugural Most Improved Commercial Bank of the Year award by Nairametrics, SME Bank of the Year by NewsDirect and the Straight-Through Processing (STP) Excellence Award by Citi Group.
The bank has also received recognition from Global Brands Magazine for Excellence in Community Empowerment.
The Lagos business forum is expected to build on these SME-focused interventions by providing entrepreneurs with another avenue to access knowledge, business insights and networks that could help them improve competitiveness and position their businesses for long-term growth.
