DBN disburses N1.4tn to MSMEs, creates 1.6 million jobs in a decade
By Abiodun Folarin
The Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) says it has disbursed more than N1.4 trillion in loans to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and supported the creation of over 1.6 million jobs since its inception in 2015.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of DBN, Tony Okpanachi, disclosed this on Thursday at the bank’s 9th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Abuja while presenting the institution’s decade-long impact on Nigeria’s MSME sector.
He said the figure represents the cumulative value of loans disbursed by the bank between 2015 and December 2025 as part of its mandate to improve access to finance for MSMEs and strengthen their contribution to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
DBN was established in 2015 by the Federal Government in partnership with international development institutions to address financing constraints faced by MSMEs through credit facilities, partial credit guarantees and technical assistance provided via eligible financial institutions.
Okpanachi noted that despite the existence of over 37 million MSMEs in Nigeria, which contribute more than half of the nation’s GDP, less than five per cent currently have access to credit through the country’s 84 participating financial institutions.
According to him, the bank’s 2025 audited financial statement also showed significant non-financial impact, including capacity-building programmes that trained more than 48,000 MSME beneficiaries by the end of 2025.
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“We trained beneficiaries on best business practices and how to access finance from the financial institutions we work with,” he said.
On lending performance, Okpanachi said the bank recorded one of its strongest operational years in 2025, disbursing loans worth over $300 million to MSMEs nationwide.
He added that the bank’s interventions had significantly boosted small businesses and job creation across the country.
“In 2025 alone, more than 180,000 MSMEs accessed our funding, many of them through microfinance banks. However, much more still needs to be done considering the huge financing gap and the growing needs of MSMEs in Nigeria,” he said.
On dividend payment, Okpanachi said the Board of Directors had recommended a dividend of N85 per share, amounting to a total payout of N8.5 billion, subject to regulatory approval.
He explained that the recommendation was based on the bank’s approved maximum dividend payout ratio of 25 per cent, in line with the policy adopted at the bank’s 6th AGM held on April 25, 2023.
Describing the proposed dividend as evidence of DBN’s financial sustainability, he noted that lending rates to MSMEs are determined by participating financial institutions, which bear the credit risks.
Okpanachi added that the bank would continue to deepen its support for MSMEs to further drive economic growth and employment generation in Nigeria.
