At Skystone, our experience working with Nigerian businesses shows that companies become more attractive to lenders, investors and strategic partners when three fundamentals are in place: Structure. Operations. Credibility. The opportunity for Nigerian SMEs is significant. Businesses are increasingly looking beyond their immediate markets, participating in regional trade, building stronger supply chains and considering new sources of finance. But opportunity alone does not create scale. A business must first become ready for growth. That means knowing its numbers, strengthening governance, establishing repeatable processes, building management capacity and creating the credibility required to engage banks, investors and institutional partners. The question therefore changes from “How do I get funding?” to “Have I built a business that capital is willing to fund?” That distinction matters. In our latest insight, we examine why many Nigerian SMEs stall, what successful businesses put in place before scaling, and how the right combination of advisory, restructuring, financial readiness and access to capital can help businesses move into their next phase.