TikTok has teamed up with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) to launch the Digital Commerce Labs, a new initiative to empower micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to enhance their digital presence, expand their customer base, and thrive in the digital economy.
Launched in Lagos, this initiative is backed by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF). The event gathered small business owners, entrepreneurs, digital content creators, industry leaders, and government representatives.
The program will offer hands-on training in various aspects of digital marketing, including content creation, audience engagement, online sales, artificial intelligence tools, and cross-border commerce.
During the event, Tokunbo Ibrahim, TikTok’s acting head of Government Relations and Public Policy for Sub-Saharan Africa, emphasised that the partnership with ICC is designed to help Nigerian entrepreneurs grow their businesses and compete globally.
“The world has transitioned to digital,” she noted. “We want Nigerian entrepreneurs to compete on equal footing with their global counterparts. Our goal is to empower small and medium-sized businesses so they can market and sell beyond their local communities and eventually export their products and services.”
Ibrahim highlighted the significant impact of digital commerce on business growth throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, noting that Nigerian entrepreneurs are at the forefront of this transformation. “Through our collaboration with ICC, we are dedicated to ensuring that every small business in this region reaps the benefits of this evolution,” she added.
Charly Gordon, innovation lead at the ICC, also spoke about the partnership, explaining how they leverage their global network of chambers to design the program’s curriculum. “With hundreds, if not thousands, of chambers worldwide, we can effectively connect with the SME community and gain a deep understanding of their everyday challenges and aspirations. Our ICC experts will collaborate to create modules that help SMEs expand internationally,” he said.
NITDA supports this initiative as part of its mission to enhance digital literacy and enable Nigerian entrepreneurs to utilise digital tools for business growth. The agency’s Director-General, Kashifu Abdullahi, remarked that platforms like TikTok have transcended entertainment, becoming vital assets for economic development. “These platforms facilitate small businesses in reaching wider audiences, sharing their unique narratives, and scaling up quickly. We commend TikTok for its commitment to fostering our local ecosystem through this small business initiative,” he stated.
The LSETF plans to contribute by providing training in financial literacy, business structuring, bookkeeping, taxation, and legal advisory services. Participants who complete the program may also have the opportunity to apply for small-business loans through the LSETF.
The timing of this launch coincides with a growing trend of Nigerian businesses leveraging social media for sales and customer engagement. ResearchAndMarkets projects Nigeria’s social commerce market to reach US$2.04 billion by 2025 and nearly US$4 billion by 2030. A GSMA survey revealed that 56% of Nigerian businesses sell exclusively online via social media, while 19% utilise a combination of social media and other online platforms.
When asked about measuring the program’s success, Gordon mentioned that the ICC plans to use analytics to monitor participating businesses’ progress. “The online training modules will be available starting in July, and the hundreds of SMEs that pre-registered will take part in live sessions. We will ensure that the training materials are used effectively to enhance their business impact.
“We aim to tailor the training to fit the needs of each SME, regardless of their current position in the digital commerce landscape, and we will track progress through various analytics methods,” he concluded.
