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Zedcrest Group has announced a major strategic shift in its lending operations, committing 100 per cent of its active loan portfolio to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and critical ecosystem enablers in a move aimed at easing Nigeria’s financing constraints and boosting productive sectors.
The Group Managing Director, Zedcrest Group, Adedayo Amzat, disclosed this on Tuesday at the Zedvance Business Roundtable themed “Unlocking Growth: The Role of Smart Financing in Building Resilient Businesses.”
The event, held in Nigeria, brought together business leaders, financiers, and industry stakeholders to examine how structured financing and ecosystem-driven lending can support sustainable economic growth amid macroeconomic pressures.
Amzat said the company’s new strategy marks a departure from traditional retail-focused lending, noting that future credit deployment will prioritise mid-market businesses and sectors that drive real production and job creation.
According to him, SMEs and ecosystem operators remain the backbone of the economy despite limited access to affordable financing.
“The people in this room and the ecosystems they represent are the true drivers of the Nigerian economy,” he said, adding that many businesses continue to struggle with access to capital needed to expand operations and scale production.
He explained that Zedcrest is adopting “ecosystem-linked financing,” a model that channels credit through structured industry clusters such as agriculture, energy, and automotive distribution, reducing risk while improving access to funding for smaller operators within value chains.
The Executive Director, Commercial Solutions at Zedvance Finance, Ayooluwa Oladimeji, also announced that the firm plans to deploy N500 billion over the next 18 months to support growth-ready enterprises across key sectors of the economy.
He said the initiative is designed to scale production capacity, create jobs, and strengthen supply chains, arguing that business lending delivers wider economic impact compared to consumer credit.
Oladimeji added that the company has access to strong local and international funding lines and is focused on building tailored credit structures rather than capital constraints.
The roundtable featured panel discussions across agriculture, health systems, energy, and macroeconomic policy, with participants highlighting structural bottlenecks in production, distribution, and financing.
In the agribusiness and commodities session, stakeholders, including Folashade Toromade, Adeyemi Akinyemi, Ebele Ezenwa, Dauda Oladele, and Mobolaji Ajayi, emphasised the need for financing models that target primary producers and reduce inefficiencies in supply chains.
A separate energy-focused panel warned that rising operational costs following subsidy removal and evolving power dynamics are forcing businesses to adopt asset financing solutions, particularly in renewable energy and solar deployment, to remain competitive.
Another discussion examined recent fiscal and monetary reforms, including exchange rate liberalisation and tax adjustments, with participants noting that while short-term pressures persist, reforms are expected to improve market predictability and long-term investment confidence.
Amzat said Zedcrest’s lending approach is increasingly data-driven and tied to client performance, stressing that the firm’s success depends directly on the survival and growth of its customers.
