Fortis Mobile Money rolls out MSME summit

Nigeria’s micro, small and medium enterprises, which it described as the backbone of the country’s economy.

The firm, one of Nigeria’s earliest licensed mobile money operators, said it placed small businesses at the centre of its long-term strategy as it transitions into a digitally driven, technology-first platform.

A senior Fortis executive said, “MSMEs have always been the life force of Nigeria’s real economy. What they lack is not ambition, capacity or creativity. What they need is access, access to finance, access to tools, access to markets, and access to a predictable digital payment infrastructure. That is where Fortis is choosing to stand.”

Fortis noted in a statement that MSMEs account for more than 90 per cent of registered businesses and contribute nearly half of the national GDP, yet still struggle with limited finance, weak digital infrastructure, and heavy dependence on informal systems.

The organisation said its renewed focus builds on its decade-long work in financially excluded communities, particularly in delivering social and humanitarian payments nationwide. It added that it was now restructuring around a technology-driven model that provides accessible digital payments, merchant tools, cooperative savings structures, and targeted financial products to small businesses.

According to the firm, the restructuring aims to solve “everyday frictions” that MSMEs face, such as fragmented collections, cash-heavy operations, weak access to working capital, and minimal financial visibility.

To deepen its support, Fortis is convening its first-ever MSME Summit, which it described as “a marketplace of ideas and a collaborative arena for reimagining the future of MSME finance in Nigeria.”

The event will bring together small business owners, cooperative groups, industry leaders, policymakers, and development partners to discuss digital payments, data-driven lending, cooperative finance, agent networks, and emerging technologies that can accelerate MSME growth. It will also showcase Fortis’ evolving suite of MSME-focused products designed to improve collections, expand credit access, strengthen business resilience, and integrate informal enterprises into the formal economy.

The executive added, “We see MSMEs as partners. Their success is our success. Their resilience is our resilience. The Fortis MSME Summit will allow us to listen, collaborate and co-create solutions that respond directly to the needs of Nigeria’s real economy.”

Fortis said the summit marks a strategic milestone in its transformation, especially as the country faces economic uncertainty and rising cost pressures on businesses. It stressed that supporting MSMEs “is not optional; it is foundational.”

The Fortis MSME Summit will be held on 21 November 2025 at The Wells Carlton Hotels, Abuja, with participation from state governments, private-sector leaders, cooperative federations, academia, and frontline MSME operators.

With this renewed direction, Fortis Mobile Money said it was positioning itself not just as a payments platform but as “a development partner for the millions of MSMEs powering Nigeria’s future.”