EDC GEW Day 2:

Executive Director, MTN Nigeria Foundation, Mrs Odunayo Sanya (left), and Programmes and Partnerships Director, Enterprise Development Centre (EDC), Dr. Olawale Anifowose, during the 2025 EDC Global Entrepreneurship Week’s Social Enterprise Dialogue held in Lagos recently.

The Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) of Pan-Atlantic University, Fidelity Bank Plc, and MTN Nigeria Foundation have called on Nigerian entrepreneurs and small business owners to build an impact-driven enterprise for a better future, rather than for profit alone.

This call was made at the 2025 Social Enterprise Dialogue session, powered by the Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) of Pan-Atlantic University and Fidelity Bank during the 2025 Global Entrepreneurship Week held in Lagos.

The keynote speaker and executive director at MTN Nigeria Foundation, Mrs. Odunayo Sanya, who spoke on the theme: ‘Purpose meets profit: building an impact-driven enterprise for a better future’, reechoed the call and urged entrepreneurs to ensure the purpose of their businesses is bigger than profit.

She said, “Entrepreneurs need to know that purpose is critical in building a business. That it is not just about the profits, when you have a purpose, and you are driven by your purpose, you will be guided by pillars to purpose, which include ethics, values, and good governance.”

Mrs. Sanya emphasised the importance of culture in building local businesses and advised entrepreneurs to consider culture as a critical ingredient because culture will always eat strategy for breakfast,” she added.

She advised entrepreneurs to build beyond themselves because small businesses grow into big businesses in the long term.

According to her, “Entrepreneurs should build beyond themselves. A small business today grows into a big business tomorrow. They shouldn’t settle for the small visions of their businesses, and the small versions, too. They should have a mental image of what their business is about in the long term. And they shouldn’t play the short-term game, but they should play the long-term game, where even after they’re long gone, their efforts through their establishments will continue to serve humanity,” she enthused.

The Managing Director, Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN Nigeria), DR. Olawale Anifowose, encouraged Nigerian-owned small businesses to innovate and create offerings that do not just generate revenue but also fulfil the needs of both individuals and the community.

Team Lead in the SMEs Banking Group at Fidelity Bank, Chiwike Okere, who spoke on the bank’s collaborative effort with EDC said, “Fidelity Bank, being a bank that is focused on supporting entrepreneurs and SMEs, deems it very key and important to be associated with this event. And that is why we are partnering with one of our long-standing partners, EDC, to support the various activities that are geared towards showcasing entrepreneurs showcasing how different kinds of institutions can support entrepreneurs, and more importantly, showcasing how our bank is supporting entrepreneurs in Nigeria.”