World MSME Day 2026: How UBA Helped me Grow My Business

Across the 20 African countries in which it operates, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has consistently placed the continent’s micro, small and medium enterprises at the centre of business. The bank pairs finance designed for the realities of small business with the advisory clinics, masterclasses and trade fairs that help owners formalise and expand. On World MSME Day 2026, that commitment is best captured by the entrepreneurs it has supported, toward actualising their goals, among them Aminat Odunyombo.

Asked what stood between her and the business she set out to build, Odunyombo did not hesitate. “We needed money,” she said.

Coming from a humble background, Odunyombo found that the obstacle to building Triple A Golden Ltd was never vision or appetite for work, but the capital the work demanded. Distribution is a capital-intensive trade, and a distributorship for Nigerian Breweries sits at its most demanding end, requiring substantial premises, vehicles and working capital before any partnership can be considered.

Recalling those early days, she said, “This business really, really needs money. Before you can be a Nigeria brewery distributor, you need a big space, two vans and big money. They won’t just have you as their distributor.” Her words captured a barrier that ends many ventures before they begin, with distributors required to demonstrate capacity before they are granted the opportunity to build it.

For an entrepreneur without inherited capital or a ready guarantor, those requirements often prove decisive, and many capable founders are unable to meet them. What distinguished Odunyombo’s path was the banking partner she found in UBA, which supported her at the outset and continued to do so as the business expanded.

That relationship began in 2021. “I have been banking with UBA since 2021, and they have been so supportive,” she said. “They have been coming to me.” What she described was not a single facility but a continuing relationship, with the Bank anticipating her needs rather than waiting to be approached. “As our needs grew and our business expanded, they were there,” she added.

That support is evident in the scale of the business today. From a single-handed start, Triple A Golden Ltd now operates a fleet and team comprising three delivery vehicles, four delivery assistants, two off-road trucks, a dedicated stock vehicle and a cashier. Each addition marked a stage of growth made possible by working capital that arrived when the business required it.

In a distribution business, the timing of finance is critical, as a distributor unable to pay for stock at the start of a busy period forfeits the sale. Access to funding at the right moment therefore often determines whether a small enterprise stagnates or expands.

For Odunyombo, gratitude and ambition sit side by side. “Every day, I’m thankful for where I am. I never imagined I’d reach this point,” she said. She regards the present as a stage in a longer journey rather than a destination. “I’m still working very hard, and I still see myself going to a very high level in this business,” she added.

Odunyombo’s experience reflects the purpose of World MSME Day, observed each year on 27 June since 2017 in recognition of the micro, small and medium enterprises that constitute the majority of the global economy. The United Nations estimates that such businesses account for more than 90 per cent of all enterprises, between 60 and 70 per cent of employment and about half of global output. This year’s observance is held under a focus on human-centred entrepreneurship and access to affordable finance, the very challenge that defined Odunyombo’s early years.

The challenge is especially pronounced in Nigeria, where small enterprises account for a significant share of employment and household income yet frequently struggle to obtain affordable credit. For many, access to finance on workable terms is the single factor that determines whether a promising business expands or stalls.

Addressing that gap is central to UBA’s work. The Bank’s small-business offering ranges from accounts tailored to micro, small and medium enterprises, through working capital facilities of up to fifty million naira, to asset finance for the vehicles and equipment that growing businesses require, with concessionary rates for women-owned enterprises. UBA’s commitment extends beyond its own balance sheet, with 6 billion dollars pledged to small and medium enterprises across Africa, a 100 million dollar guarantee partnership with the African Guarantee Fund, and a 5 billion naira fund from the Bank of Industry to widen affordable lending, with particular attention to women-led and green businesses.

The Bank pairs that funding with capacity building, including SME masterclasses, advisory clinics, an annual summit and trade fairs that help owners formalise and grow. For a customer such as Odunyombo, the combination of responsive finance and proactive support has been central to her progress.

Speaking on the Bank’s commitment to small businesses, UBA’s Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Oliver Alawuba, made a heartfelt case for the entrepreneurs at the heart of Africa’s economy.

“When I think about what UBA is for, I think about people like Aminat. She brought the courage and the discipline, and what she needed was a partner who believed in her before the figures were large. That is the bank we have always sought to be, one that supports the small business owner through every season of growth, because when our customers rise, their families and communities rise with them. The micro, small and medium enterprises of this continent are not a market segment to us; they are family, and we are proud to stand with them,” he said.

His remarks reflected a conviction that informs UBA’s approach to the sector, namely that a bank should support a customer well before that customer becomes a significant account, and build relationships that grow with the businesses it serves.

Speaking on the Bank’s strategy, UBA’s Group Head, Brands, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Alero Ladipo, described it as both commercial and social. “Small businesses are the engine of Africa’s economy, and supporting them is sound business as well as the right thing to do. Our model is to anticipate rather than react, giving entrepreneurs the working capital, asset finance and advisory support to move from survival to scale, and we measure our success by theirs,” she said.

Her comments reflected a strategy that regards small business as central to UBA’s long-term franchise rather than a peripheral concern. The support extended to Triple A Golden Ltd forms part of a broader commitment that places the Customer First, combining accessible finance, practical advisory and a close understanding of the businesses the Bank serves.

For Odunyombo, the next stage is already in view, with plans to grow the business further. On a day dedicated to the world’s small enterprises, her progress shows what becomes possible when entrepreneurial ambition is matched by the right financial support. “I never imagined I’d reach this point,” she said. For UBA, ensuring that more entrepreneurs across Africa can say the same remains the purpose behind World MSME Day.