The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), through its Global Environment Facility-Small Grants Programme (GEF-SGP), has committed $50,000 to a new nationwide initiative aimed at supporting nature-positive Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria.
Launched in Abuja, the project will be implemented by the International Trade Facilitators Association (ITFA) over a nine-month period and is expected to reach at least 470 MSMEs across the country’s six geopolitical zones. The initiative, titled Support to Potential and Established Nature-Positive MSMEs (SPENM), is designed to empower environmentally responsible businesses through targeted training, market access support, and guidance towards global certification standards.
Speaking at the unveiling, ITFA Trade Ambassador said the project responds to decades of short-lived MSME interventions by building a lasting and structured framework for non-oil exports and nature-aligned enterprise. He explained that the initiative would not stop at capacity building but would accompany MSMEs through every stage of development, from production to international market entry.
The project specifically targets small enterprises that operate within local communities—such as farmers, fishermen, and small-scale processors—helping them adopt sustainable practices while contributing to environmental conservation.
The \$50,000 UNDP seed fund will be disbursed in three performance-based tranches. In addition, an equivalent of \$50,000 in in-kind contributions, including coaching, logistics, and facility access from partner organisations, has been secured to bolster the project’s implementation.
At the heart of the initiative are “nature-positive” MSMEs—businesses that actively incorporate environmental sustainability into their operations, such as renewable energy adoption, waste minimisation, and biodiversity conservation. According to ITFA, at least 30 per cent of the selected beneficiaries will be women, with focused inclusion efforts for youth, indigenous people, and persons with disabilities.
UNDP’s programme assistant to the National Coordinator of GEF-SGP, Rose Agbo, described the fund as catalytic, saying it is intended to draw in larger-scale investments and enable participating MSMEs to unlock access to broader development funding.
“Our vision is to extract the business potential from environmental sustainability efforts. This is about converting social and environmental impact into sustainable livelihoods, where communities control both the process and the profits,” she said.
Agbo also highlighted the success of previous GEF-SGP initiatives, noting that several past projects have been scaled up, replicated, and integrated into wider development networks.
This new initiative signals a growing shift towards integrating environmental stewardship into the foundation of Nigeria’s MSME landscape, using green enterprise as a tool for economic inclusion and long-term development.
