Fidelity Bank Moves to Back MOUAU SMEs, Targets Enterprise Growth and Innovation Ecosystem

The Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (SME) Division of Fidelity Bank Plc has pledged strategic financial and capacity-building support for enterprise development within Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, in a move aimed at strengthening entrepreneurship and innovation across the university community.

The commitment was made on April 15, 2026, during a courtesy visit to the Vice-Chancellor, Ursula Ngozi Akanwa, led by the Head of SME Division, Ugochi Osinigwe.

Osinigwe stated that the bank is positioning itself for a structured partnership with the university through tailored financial services, mentorship programmes, and training initiatives designed to scale student and staff-led enterprises. She noted that MOUAU’s innovation-driven environment presents a strong foundation for sustainable SME growth.

In response, Akanwa described the engagement as strategically aligned with the university’s broader development agenda, particularly its push to produce graduates who are both employable and capable of creating jobs. She highlighted the increasing number of student-led ventures and research-based innovations within the institution, emphasizing the need for structured financing and private sector collaboration to accelerate their expansion.

She reaffirmed MOUAU’s readiness to deepen partnerships that support entrepreneurship development, research commercialization, and skills acquisition among students and staff.

Other members of the Fidelity Bank delegation included Chiwuike Okere, Mark Ekeh, and Vivian Urechukwu.

The engagement is expected to evolve into structured programmes focused on SME financing, financial literacy, and enterprise capacity-building, with both institutions signaling readiness to translate discussions into actionable economic outcomes within and beyond the university ecosystem.