The Bank of Industry (BOI) says it disbursed a record N636 billion to businesses across Nigeria in 2025, marking the highest annual financing volume in its history.
In its 2025 impact report released on Wednesday, the development finance institution said the funds were deployed to more than 7,000 businesses operating in manufacturing, agribusiness, micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), infrastructure, power, ICT and the creative sector.
President Bola Tinubu commended the bank for the milestone, describing it as clear evidence that ongoing macroeconomic reforms are strengthening development finance and expanding access to long-term capital.
In a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, his special adviser on information and strategy, the president said the performance reflects reform-driven credibility and institutional discipline.
“The N636 billion disbursed by the Bank of Industry in 2025 translates directly into productive capacity across Nigeria,” Tinubu said.
“At a time of global financing constraints, Nigeria expanded access to long-term capital for its businesses. That is a direct outcome of reform, credibility and institutional discipline.”
BOI said the milestone reflects its transition “from strategy to scale” under its 2025–2027 transformation agenda, which prioritised balance sheet strengthening, access to long-term capital, operational efficiency and financing aligned with national economic and industrial priorities.
The bank stated that the performance was achieved despite global macroeconomic pressures that widened financing gaps and increased strain on development finance institutions. It added that demand for its funding rose during the year due to relatively cheaper and longer-tenured financing options offered to businesses.
According to the report, sectoral allocations included N202 billion to agro-allied enterprises, N100 billion to infrastructure, N79 billion to manufacturing, N77 billion to extractive industries and N55 billion to services.
The disbursements were partly supported by a €2 billion syndicated facility secured at the end of 2024, the federal government’s N200 billion MSME loans and grants scheme and an additional €210 million mobilised in 2025 from international partners. BOI also deployed N73 billion in managed and matching funds on behalf of states and institutional partners.
The bank maintained asset quality during the period, recording a non-performing loan ratio of less than 1.5 percent.
Under the federal government’s N200 billion intervention programme, BOI said it achieved over 95 percent performance as the disbursing entity, while the presidential conditional grant scheme reached 957,400 beneficiaries in 2025.
A breakdown of disbursements by business size shows N51 billion went to nano enterprises, N32 billion to micro businesses, N178 billion to SMEs and N375 billion to large enterprises.
BOI said its interventions led to the creation and retention of 1.6 million jobs, supported over 7,000 new MSMEs and 570 startups.
“Inclusive finance remained a priority,” the bank said, highlighting its N10 billion Guaranteed Loans for Women (GLOW) programme, which provides up to N50 million in affordable financing per beneficiary. Youth-owned enterprises received N12 billion in funding, while the Rural Area Programme on Investment for Development (RAPID) supported 880 rural enterprises with over N6.5 billion across the 36 states and the FCT.
The bank said strategic interventions during the year included upgrading a tomato processing facility from 3.1 metric tonnes to 10 metric tonnes per hour, linking 47,508 smallholder farmers to processing facilities and deploying 100 mini-grids in partnership with development finance institutions (DFIs), connecting 11,777 new customers to electricity.
It added that N100 billion was disbursed to critical national infrastructure spanning broadband, power, aviation and transportation, while BOI-financed projects contributed to an estimated annual reduction of over 20,000 tonnes of carbon emissions.
Through the Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (iDICE) programme, BOI said it prepared 500 founders for investment, funded 100 tech ventures and trained 400 youths through innovation programmes. The initiative targets over 300,000 Nigerians.
Commenting on the performance, Olasupo Olusi, BOI’s managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO), said the milestone aligns with the federal government’s drive for industrialisation and inclusive growth.
“Achieving over N600 billion in loan disbursements to our customers in 2025 is a significant milestone for the Bank of Industry, which aligns with the vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to drive industrialisation, economic diversification, and inclusive growth across Nigeria,” Olusi said.
“Beyond this milestone, our performance this year demonstrates BoI’s continued commitment to supporting enterprises, creating jobs, and strengthening the nation’s industrial base.”
BOI also said it strengthened its institutional standing in 2025, becoming Nigeria’s first national implementing entity to the United Nations Adaptation Fund and the first development finance institution in the country to achieve privacy information management system certification.
The bank added that it received multiple recognitions during the year, including Best Bank for Sustainable Finance in Nigeria 2025, Best Company in Financial Inclusion and Best Company in Infrastructure Development at the SERAS awards.
