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The Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) and global design platform Canva have partnered to provide free digital marketing, branding and artificial intelligence training to 5,000 businesses across Lagos, with at least 2,000 expected to become regular users of the platform.
The one-year partnership will give eligible nano, micro, small and medium enterprises (NMSMEs) free access to Canva Business and at least four virtual training sessions. The programme is designed to help businesses create marketing materials, manage their brands and improve their online visibility.
According to a statement obtained by The PUNCH on Sunday, the training will equip participants with practical digital skills they can apply to their daily operations, including creating branded content, presentations, portfolios and marketing campaigns.
The initiative comes ahead of the year-end trading season, when businesses in sectors such as hospitality, food, fashion, entertainment, beauty and retail compete for consumer attention.
Feyisayo Alayande, Executive Secretary of LSETF, said access to finance alone was not enough to help small businesses grow without the knowledge and digital tools needed to reach customers and present their products professionally.
The training will cover brand management, AI-assisted design and marketing campaign management. Participants will learn to develop brand kits and reusable templates, use Canva’s AI tools to generate content through conversational prompts, and manage marketing campaigns across brands, markets and clients.
Farai Ntuli, Canva Africa Partnership Lead, said the timing of the programme was intended to help businesses apply the skills during the busy trading period.
“Our timing is very intentional. Lagos businesses are heading into a busy trading season. We want to give owners practical tools to use straight away, from digital content to product packaging, pitch decks and building confidence in agentic workflows,” Ntuli said.
Beyond enrolling 5,000 businesses, the partnership aims to encourage sustained use of the tools through practical outputs, including brand kits, presentations, portfolios and other marketing materials. At least 2,000 participating businesses are expected to use Canva consistently.
Applications opened on October 9, with onboarding scheduled for early November. Training is expected to continue until February 2027.
Established in 2016, LSETF is the Lagos State Government agency responsible for employment creation and enterprise development. It supports entrepreneurs, job seekers and small businesses across the state’s local government areas.
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Indonesian Ambassador to Nigeria, Bambang Suharto, announced the agreements at a ceremony on Thursday, October 15, involving investors from both countries.
The deals were part of 55 memoranda of understanding signed at an exhibition between Indonesian businesses and international partners from countries including Nigeria, Australia, Canada, Germany, Malaysia, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.
Suharto said the two agreements involving Nigerian and Indonesian companies were valued at $5 million each and covered the dental equipment and pharmaceutical sectors.
He said the partnerships could deepen economic relations between both countries, create jobs and support local production. He also cited Indonesian companies already operating in Nigeria as examples of how foreign investment could generate employment and utilise locally available resources.
The ambassador encouraged Nigerian investors to explore opportunities in Indonesia, noting that the populations and available workforce of both countries could support business expansion. He added that Indonesia was open to Nigerian companies seeking to invest in its market.
Ralph-Michael Simon-Michael, a representative of Irad Investment Limited, said the company had reached an agreement with Indonesian manufacturer PT Winn Appliance to introduce household gas appliances into Nigeria.
Simon-Michael said the Port Harcourt-based company planned to distribute the products through existing retail and distribution networks, including Shoprite, Next and cash-and-carry distributors, to reach consumers nationwide.
Beyond importing the appliances, he said the company hoped to establish a factory in Indonesia and eventually expand its operations into other African markets.
Sheye Oyetade, Executive Director of Invest Nigeria, said the Nigerian delegation attended the exhibition to advance trade cooperation under an existing memorandum of understanding between Invest Nigeria and the Developing Eight (D-8), a group that includes Nigeria and Indonesia.
He said the delegation sought to translate the cooperation framework into practical business arrangements that would facilitate trade between the two countries.
Oyetade also identified Nigeria’s expanding consumer market and ongoing economic reforms as factors that could attract international investors. He projected that the country’s population could reach 400 million by 2050, creating additional demand for goods and services.
The agreements are expected to strengthen commercial ties between Nigeria and Indonesia, with the businesses involved seeking to expand investment, create employment and increase the exchange of products and expertise.
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JAMB Registrar, Professor Segun Aina, gave the warning when he received a delegation from Veritas University, Bwari, Abuja, during a courtesy visit to his office.
According to a statement issued by the Board on Monday, Aina said JAMB was the only body legally authorised to issue official admission letters to candidates seeking admission into universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in Nigeria.
He expressed concern that candidates often regarded admission offers as genuine simply because the documents appeared to have been issued by the institutions concerned.
The registrar urged institutions engaging in the practice to desist, describing it as an ignoble act. He also stressed the need for institutions to ensure that candidates obtained the appropriate admission documents from JAMB.
Aina recalled that the Federal Ministry of Education had directed that all admissions into tertiary institutions be processed through the Central Admissions Processing System (CAPS). He warned that any admission conducted outside the approved platform was illegal and invalid.
He explained that institutions could not substitute their own admission letters for official letters issued by JAMB after candidates had accepted admission offers through CAPS.
He added that only admissions processed and recognised through the platform would be accepted for purposes such as mobilisation for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
Aina urged tertiary institutions to comply with established admission procedures to prevent candidates from being misled and protect the integrity of Nigeria’s admission process.
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The Katsina State Government has launched an empowerment programme targeting more than 62,000 nano, micro and small enterprises across the state’s 34 local government areas, with grants ranging from ₦50,000 to ₦150,000 per beneficiary.
The initiative, flagged off by Governor Dikko Umaru Radda on Monday, also includes the provision of 2,000 purpose-built business kiosks and customised signboards to improve working conditions and visibility for small-scale entrepreneurs.
Speaking at the launch, Radda said the programme was part of his administration’s Building Your Future agenda, which seeks to strengthen entrepreneurship, encourage private-sector participation and create sustainable employment opportunities.
Under the scheme, nano enterprises will receive ₦50,000 each, micro enterprises ₦100,000, while small businesses will receive ₦150,000, depending on their classification.
At the minimum grant level of ₦50,000 per beneficiary, the programme would require at least ₦3.1 billion to reach 62,000 businesses, with the total funding expected to be higher depending on the distribution of grants across the three categories.
Radda said the beneficiaries were identified through a mapping and verification exercise conducted along major road corridors across the state’s 34 local government areas. The exercise identified businesses facing challenges including inadequate capital, poor working conditions and limited market visibility.
Beneficiaries include traders, mechanics, tailors, welders, vulcanisers, wood processors, artisans and other small-scale business operators.
The governor said the intervention was designed to strengthen livelihoods and local commerce by supporting businesses that provide essential goods and services and sustain household incomes.
He disclosed that the 2,000 kiosks would initially prioritise vulcanisers operating along major roads, many of whom conduct their businesses under difficult environmental conditions.
According to him, the kiosks are being fabricated by local artisans to create additional employment opportunities and retain economic benefits within the state.
The customised signboards are also expected to improve business identification, build customer confidence and attract patronage, particularly for enterprises located along major commercial routes.
Highlighting previous interventions, Radda said the Katsina State Enterprise Development Agency (KASEDA) had disbursed more than ₦3.5 billion in non-interest financing to over 6,000 micro, small and medium enterprises, with repayments already underway.
He added that the agency facilitated 5,373 jobs and supported the formalization of more than 10,000 businesses in 2025.
The governor said the results reflected the administration’s efforts to develop a sustainable entrepreneurial economy capable of generating employment and reducing dependence on government assistance.
“Our responsibility is to create conditions in which enterprises can survive, grow and contribute meaningfully to the prosperity of our state,” he said.
Radda also announced the development of an integrated digital enterprise database and management platform to improve the identification, monitoring and coordination of business support program.
The platform is expected to provide information on business locations, enterprise clusters, operational challenges and beneficiary distribution, helping the government prevent duplication and identify underserved communities.
He directed KASEDA and other relevant institutions to ensure that the database remained accurate, secure and regularly updated, with safeguards for data protection and privacy.
The governor also highlighted the achievements of local entrepreneurs, citing Cose Republic, a KASEDA-supported business that won ₦7.5 million at the 2026 National MSME Awards.
He commended KASEDA Director-General Babangida Kabir Ruma and his team for their work on enterprise mapping, verification and digital innovation. He also acknowledged Cranewood Integrated Services Limited, the programme’s coordinating consultant, alongside development partners, financial institutions, traditional rulers and community leaders.
Radda assured business owners that beneficiary selection and verification would be guided by fairness, transparency and accountability to ensure that assistance reached eligible enterprises.
He said the broader objective was to help citizens become more productive and self-reliant, with the combined interventions expected to improve household incomes, stimulate economic activity and enable small businesses to expand and employ more workers, particularly women and young people in rural communities.
The governor reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to strengthening the MSME sector as a driver of economic diversification, job creation and sustainable development in Katsina State.
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