The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has committed a $75m financing facility to the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) to expand access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including eligible businesses in Nigeria’s creative industry.
Afreximbank announced the facility during the CANEX WKND 2026 event in Lagos, according to a statement issued on Wednesday. The funds will be channelled through DBN’s participating financial institutions to support eligible businesses.
The ceremonial signing was led by Afreximbank’s Executive Vice President, Intra-African Trade and Export Development, Mrs Kanayo Awani, and DBN’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Tony Okpanachi.
The regional bank said the facility would support working capital, asset acquisition, pre-export and post-export financing, as well as supply chain activities.
Businesses operating in fashion, film, music, design and other creative industries are among the intended beneficiaries.
Afreximbank explained that the facility aligns with CANEX WKND’s focus on connecting creative enterprises with finance, investment opportunities and markets.
Under its Export SME Development programme, the bank said the financing would be combined with capacity-building and export-readiness support to equip beneficiary businesses with the skills, tools and market knowledge needed to expand and access regional and international markets.
The statement added that Afreximbank and DBN would jointly develop a capacity-building programme to strengthen participating financial institutions’ ability to support export-oriented SMEs.
Afreximbank will also provide access to its trade platforms, including MANSA, TRADAR, PAPSS and ATEX, while supporting market access through the Africa Buyer Programme, ATDC and the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF).
Speaking on the partnership, Awani said the objective was to help Nigerian SMEs build productive capacity, improve their competitiveness and transition from local businesses into sustainable exporters.
“Our partnership with DBN goes beyond providing capital. We are taking an integrated approach that combines finance with capacity building, export-readiness support and access to markets. Our objective is to help Nigerian SMEs build productive capacity, strengthen their competitiveness and make the transition from promising local businesses to sustainable exporters,” she said.
Awani added that the partnership would also strengthen participating financial institutions’ capacity to understand and support SMEs throughout their growth journey.
She said combining financing with practical business support would help Nigerian enterprises prepare for export markets and connect with buyers across Africa and beyond.
“For creative enterprises, that advances CANEX’s ambition to turn African talent and ideas into sustainable businesses that can compete internationally,” she added.
The partnership combines DBN’s wholesale lending network with Afreximbank’s trade finance expertise, capacity-building programmes and market access support to improve local financial institutions’ ability to serve export-oriented businesses.
In his remarks, DBN Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Tony Okpanachi, described the partnership as another important step in the bank’s commitment to expanding access to finance for Nigerian micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
He said the $75m facility would provide financing through participating financial institutions and create opportunities for businesses, particularly those in the creative and export-oriented sectors, to strengthen their productive capacity and access new markets.
“Beyond financing, the capacity-building and market-access components of this partnership are particularly important to us. By strengthening the ability of financial institutions to support export-ready businesses and connecting Nigerian enterprises to wider African and international markets, we are helping MSMEs move from local businesses to competitive participants in regional and global value chains,” Okpanachi said.
He added that the initiative aligned with DBN’s mandate to address financing constraints and promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth in Nigeria.
The Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) is Afreximbank’s flagship programme for Africa’s creative and cultural industries. It supports the development of commercially sustainable and export-ready creative businesses through access to finance, skills, markets, commercial partnerships and policy support.
CANEX WKND 2026 was held from November 5 to 8 at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Cultural and Creative Arts in Lagos.
The event was organised by Afreximbank, hosted by the Federal Government of Nigeria and delivered in partnership with the African Union Commission and the AfCFTA Secretariat.
It brought together creatives, investors, buyers and policymakers from Africa, the Caribbean and the diaspora, with activities including a Deal Room, finance and intellectual property sessions, export-readiness training and business-to-business opportunities.