Nigerian Government Lauds Moniepoint’s Contributions to The Growth of The Informal Economy

The federal government of Nigeria has commended payment processing Platform Moniepoint for its immense contribution towards to the growth of the nation’s informal economy.

The Vice President of Nigeria, Senator Kashim Shettima restated the government’s unvarnished commitment to deepening economic and financial inclusion in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, noting that financial inclusion is a core component and the government is making a lot of efforts to ensure that the vulnerable in society have safety nets as exemplified by the ASO accord which was signed this year.  

He made this statement in Abuja, while speaking as principal guest of honour at the launch of the 2024 Nigeria Informal Economy Report powered by Moniepoint in collaboration with the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria, SMEDAN and the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment. 

Moniepoint’s Nigeria’s Informal Economy Report 2024 offers fresh insights for individuals and organizations interested in understanding the dynamics of Nigeria’s informal economy and shaping a more inclusive and sustainable economic landscape.

Some of the key insights from the report include:

• The youthful demographic is a critical driving force of Nigeria’s informal economy, with over 57.7% of business owners under 34 years old.

• There is an untapped earning potential that is prevalent in the informal segment, with the average monthly income below N250,000 while on the higher end of the spectrum, only about 1.3% of businesses in Nigeria’s informal economy earn above N2.5 million monthly.

• Retail and General Trade is the leading industry within the informal economy, making up 24% of all informal businesses.

• The reality that unemployment is the primary driver for starting a business by many players in the informal sector.

Sen Shettima, represented by the Technical Adviser to the President on Economic & Financial Inclusion, Dr. Nurudeen Abubakar Zauro, acknowledged and appreciated the role of players in the informal space, especially Moniepoint.

“We can all remember during the Covid-19 lockdown and the recent currency changes, there were a lot of challenges and we saw agencies like this come together and save the country at that point. This is because of the flexible initiatives they brought into the space, especially last-mile delivery by providing a platform that allowed people to successfully transact. SMEDAN’s innovative streak has also been very commendable”, he said.  

In his opening remarks, Managing Director, Moniepoint Microfinance Bank, Babatunde Olofin, lauded operators of informal businesses for the high degree of flexibility and innovation they exhibit in adapting quickly to changing market conditions.

Highlighting their economic significance, he said that the informal economy contributes substantially to Nigeria’s GDP and can be effectively mobilized to unleash Nigeria’s full economic potential and provide much needed support to the most vulnerable households in our society.

Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, who formally launched the report, reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to supporting small business operators in the informal sector of the economy. She pointed out that the informal sector, which often appears to be forgotten, would henceforth begin to enjoy government’s interventions and incentives.

She said,

“We are really grateful to Moniepoint for conducting this report. It gives us the basis and foundation now to provide targeted intervention as part of the government’s approach to supporting the informal economy. This segment plays a significant role in the Nigerian economy, we can now bring them up to enjoy incentives that the government is providing to the broader economy as well”.

Also delivering a goodwill message, the Chairman, House Committee on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Hon. Mansur Manu Soro, said the House was taking deliberate steps to prioritize women operating in the informal sector and end gender disparity in earnings. He expressed the National Assembly’s commitment to give the report its full attention, subjecting it to the necessary review and internalizing it while lauding Moniepoint for its positive impact in pushing financial inclusion.

Chief Executive Officer, Moniepoint Inc, Tosin Eniolorunda in his foreword provided the rationale for the report, “In just a few years, over 2 million businesses, many within the informal economy, have chosen Moniepoint as their essential growth partner. The commitment we feel to this sector inspired the creation of this report. By quantifying the informal economy’s impacts and nuances, we can better shape policies and programs to empower and uplift the entrepreneurs driving it forward. Their success is inextricably linked to Nigeria’s continued growth and development.” 

In a keynote presentation, Director General/CEO SMEDAN, Charles Odii, said that small businesses are the engine of the Nigerian economy and most of Nigeria’s approximately 40 million small businesses reside in the informal sector. He noted that these businesses which are born of both necessity and entrepreneurial zeal, exemplify the famous Nigerian ‘hustling’ while affirming that the agency is working to formalize these businesses and bring them into the formal sector to increase access to important resources such as finance.

Furthermore, Odii articulated SMEDAN’s agenda aimed at accelerating growth and prosperity for small businesses as encapsulated in the acronym ‘GROW’: Guidance, Resources, Opportunities, and Workforce support.