Zedcrest’s Group Managing Director, Adedayo Amzat, has outlined a major change in how the company deploys capital, pledging that all of Zedvance’s active lending will be directed toward small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and businesses that strengthen key industry ecosystems. The move is aimed at easing Nigeria’s persistent financing gap for mid-market operators, which face constraints as demand, input costs and credit risk all shift in the country’s current macroeconomic environment.
Key takeaways
- Amzat said Zedvance will allocate 100% of its active loan book to SMEs and ecosystem enablers.
- The announcement was made during the Zedvance Business Roundtable titled “Unlocking Growth: The Role of Smart Financing in Building Resilient Businesses.”
- Zedvance is positioning its approach around “ecosystem-linked solutions” designed to manage credit risk in volatile conditions.
- The firm’s 18-month expansion plan includes a ₦500 billion deployment to support growth-ready enterprises.
- Panel discussions covered food and health systems, energy transition pressures, and how fiscal and monetary policies affect financing choices.
Why Zedcrest is shifting capital toward SMEs and ecosystems
Speaking at the Tuesday event in the Zedvance Business Roundtable format, Amzat argued that while public debate often centers on large-company capital raises—such as major initial public offerings—the practical foundation of Nigeria’s economic resilience is carried by mid-sized businesses and the networks around them. He told attendees that the entrepreneurs and ecosystem participants in the room are the real drivers of economic survival, particularly those working under difficult operating conditions.
Amzat also described the kinds of barriers many operators face, including difficulty obtaining suitable financing, challenges securing enough land capital to execute projects, and limited access to shop space needed to establish or expand activities such as petrol station operations.
To respond to the long-standing challenge of credit risk in an unstable environment, the GMD said Zedvance is developing “ecosystem-linked solutions.” Under the model, the company uses structured partnerships with corporate aggregators to channel liquidity into clusters of smallholders across sectors including agriculture, automotive distribution and energy.
He framed the concept in practical terms, saying it is less about corporate language and more about coordinated growth. For example, he said that in the automotive ecosystem, the goal is to build the ecosystem itself into a high-performing engine so that participants can expand their share of a larger market rather than competing to survive inside a shrinking one.
An 18-month growth plan and a ₦500 billion lending target
The roundtable was also presented as the launch point for Zedvance’s aggressive 18-month growth strategy. Amzat said the company is moving from its roots in high-velocity retail consumer lending toward a larger scale of capital deployment focused on corporate and production-oriented enterprises.
In describing how the balance sheet is structured, he said that beyond the firm’s physical infrastructure—such as computers, desks and chairs—every item on the asset side of the balance sheet consists of active loans.
Ayooluwa Oladimeji, Executive Director for Commercial Solutions at Zedvance Finance, said the business intends to deploy ₦500 billion over the next 18 months to deepen support for enterprises positioned to grow. He added that business lending can help companies scale production, hire an additional 100 people and distribute more goods—expanding the broader economic impact compared with the effect of a single consumer loan.
Oladimeji also reassured entrepreneurs that they do not need to exhaust time and effort dealing with rigid, traditional commercial banking processes that can complicate borrowing. He said that as part of the Z Crest Group, the firm has access to deep, continuous local and international financing lines, while its role is to design the right credit frameworks—adding that capital is already available for deployment.
Sector panels: food and health, energy costs, and policy-linked financing
The event featured three panel discussions that connected sector realities to the concept of smart capital intervention.
The first panel focused on Food and Health Systems and was moderated by Folasade Toromade, a seasoned business manager in agribusiness and commodities. The session included several senior industry operators: Dauda Oladele, Managing Director of IBBDS Group; Adeyemi Akinyemi, Managing Director of 5ivers Outgrowers; and Mobolaji Ajayi. The discussion centered on bottlenecks affecting local commodity supply chains and health distribution networks.
In the panel’s exchange, speakers argued that achieving genuine food security and resilient health systems requires financing structures that directly support the production base. They said clustering smallholders and outgrowers with structured credit can reduce input volatility, remove middlemen inefficiencies, and help insulate markets from food inflation pressures.
A second session examined the Energy Business and how companies can handle rising operational realities as conditions change rapidly. That panel was moderated by Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Manager of Legal and Compliance at Zedcrest Group, and included a group of leaders: Damilola Olawoye, CEO of Rivy; Emmanuel Rominiyi, Senior Business Executive; Daniel Ajayi, Senior Business Manager for Commercial Solutions at Zedvance Finance; and Jide Pratt.
Panelists stressed that with the post-subsidy cost of energy, firms must structurally manage their energy portfolios to protect margins. They said smart financing solutions—particularly asset financing for renewable energy arrays and commercial solar rollouts—should be viewed as essential for corporate survival rather than optional long-term alternatives.
The third panel returned to the national policy setting, linking sector experience to Nigeria’s fiscal and monetary frameworks. It examined tools such as the foreign exchange market float and recent tax reforms. Specialists on the panel agreed that while the transition period involves high friction, reducing distortionary interventions would create a more predictable environment for legitimate builders.
Amzat’s closing remarks on monetary policy, inflation and value-add funding
After the panel sessions—covering recent fiscal and monetary changes in Nigeria, including fuel subsidy removal and the decision to float the foreign exchange market—Amzat offered a concluding view on the broader economic outlook.
He acknowledged that the central bank’s tightly controlled monetary policy creates steep challenges for manufacturers, but he expressed confidence that policy delays will eventually help curb inflation and lower borrowing costs more broadly. He said funding emphasis should be placed on value-add sectors such as domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing, logistics and renewable energy, both to support growth and to reduce exposure to foreign exchange shocks.
Amzat closed by reiterating that the company’s own performance is tied to the continued survival of its customers. He described the company’s approach as data-driven and structured, saying it operates like an objective checklist—where client information and intended use of funds are provided, and the pricing model produces an “honest” rate. He concluded that the firm succeeds when its customers succeed.
