Top 10 Nigerian SMEs of 2022

  Throughout 2022, Connect Nigeria reviewed a sizeable collection of SMEs. We selected them from several industries—engineering, IT services, Human Resource management, software development, travel, event management, and many more. Although they varied quite significantly with respect to their sizes, they all had at least one thing in common: they were riding the waves of Nigeria’s challenging business environment, and thriving in the face of its turbulence.

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In this article, we’ll cast our minds back to ten of those SMEs. They are among the most impressive small and emerging enterprises in the country and are making an impact in their niches, markets, and the communities in which they are active. We present them to you, in no particular order.

Alpha-Praxis

Alpha-Praxis takes on construction, integrated engineering, and procurement projects. It also optimizes industrial production sites, supplies machinery and industrial chemicals, and implements erosion control. In summary, it deals with civil and mechanical engineering assignments and delivers an assortment of materials to petroleum companies. Some of its notable clients include the Nigerian Army, the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Kaduna State government, the Benue State government, and the NNPC Pension Fund.

BusinessOntop

BusinessOntop is a business development service provider based in Lagos. It helps SMEs with market research and business plans, builds an online presence for them, develops and executes communication strategies, and consults for startups. The company was founded in 2012 and is headed by Samuel and Grace Uwawah. Following its establishment, it has expanded its roster of offerings and its client base and is now the preferred business development service provider of many individual and institutional clients.

Caham Travels and Tours

Caham has only recently arrived on the travel and tour scene; it was set up in 2018. But thanks to the work put in by its founder, Chinonso Akudinobi, it has amassed a decent following and served a fairly large client base. It helps them with a range of things, from flight bookings and visa assistance to business trips, cruises, and vacations. It is able to meet its clients’ needs because of its partnership with tour operators elsewhere in Africa, as well as in Europe, the Middle East, East Asia, Australia, and North and South America.

Data Lead Africa

This Abuja-based consulting firm delivers data analytics and strategic consulting projects. They supply solutions in data science, research methods, statistics and data evaluation. Since its establishment in 2017, Data Lead Africa has worked with clients in the oil and gas, finance, and tech industries, as well as international NGOs. It has also organized capacity-building programs around its areas of expertise, in partnership with multinational agencies.

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DigiEngage

DigiEngage is a digital marketing, brand management and online advertising agency. Its specialities also include graphic design, social media management, website development, and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). The organizations it has served represent several industries and segments—banking, pensions, energy, automotive, medicine, culture, and public sector agencies. It continues to grow along with the increasing demand for the sort of services it provides.

EllaimPress

Ellaim press designs and brands materials for individuals and organizations. It prints cards, banners, fabrics, and souvenirs, which its clients use for a variety of purposes—business promotions, gifts, and personal needs. Ellaimpress has a lot of competition; Port Harcourt, the city in which it’s located, doesn’t lack printing shops. But the company has been able to grow its customer base due to the relatively affordable rates it charges for the work that it does, and the promptness of its service delivery.

Kendor Consulting

Adora Ikwuemesi set up Kendor Consulting in 2009. In the years that followed, she grew it into a top player in Lagos’s Human Resources consulting space. Kendor helps client businesses to design their organizational hierarchies, structure their HR teams, and develop their HR policies. It also works with these businesses to recruit qualified persons who can fill vacancies within them. People who want to build an HR consulting business can learn how to do so at the boot camps that Kendor runs.

Mira Technologies

Mira Technologies design, build, and supply software products for businesses. They include accounting, Human Resources, Hospital Management, and financial reporting software. In addition, it helps its clients to build bespoke web and mobile applications and enables them to send out SMS to a large number of recipients through its bulk SMS service.

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Posh and Pristine

Posh and Pristine is a wedding and events planning business located in Abuja. As its name suggests, it lays out the events it plans and executes so that they assume a luxurious look. Its founders, Michael Philips and Laura Michael-Philips say that they set it up in response to the planning gaps they spotted at their own wedding. They wanted to help couples—and other hosts and celebrants –to create an experience with their events that they would never forget.

The Paper Packaging Company

This company produces paper bags, paper cups and accessories, and paper food packaging, all of which are biodegradable. It makes about 140 different products which it sells to its clients in Lagos and elsewhere in Nigeria. Chidi and Efe Oguegbu founded The Paper Packaging Company in 2014, in order to provide an environmentally friendly alternative to the more widely used but less sustainable plastic packaging.

Final Words

The year 2023 will almost certainly present us with more SMEs to cover. As new players emerge across Nigeria’s commercial and industrial landscape, we’ll be on hand to examine the work they do and reveal the things that make them unique and worthy of patronage. Featured Image Source: Simply Law

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Got a suggestion? Contact us: editor@connectnigeria.com  

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This article was first published on 7th January 2023

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