THE ASSOCIATION OF CERTIFIED BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SERVICE PROVIDERS IN NIGERIA

About Us

The Federal Government of Nigeria through the Small Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, SMEDAN , set up a National Framework for the Accreditation and Certification of Business Development Service Providers in 2018.

BDSP Nigeria Strategic Objectives

Elevate the practice of BDSP into a professional rewarding endeavor that adds value to businesses , the wider community, and members
Drive common standards of professional and ethical practice amongst members and industry.
Act as a valuable contributor and influencer in engaging regulators, government, Industry, and fellow travelers.
Provide a platform for the exchange of ideas, knowledge and continuing education of members and advocacy.
Accelerate business growth of member organizations and promote practices that enhance client relationships
Promote research that expands the envelope of knowledge

The National Framework for the accreditation and certification of Business Development Service Providers (BDSPs) aims to set the standard for Business Development interventions by certifying a mark of quality for the delivery of Business Development Services (BDS) to the Micro Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria.

BDSPs who go through the rigorous training and accreditation process attain the standard benchmark for BDS interventions ; become certified and thus are able to assist in strategy, performance, competitiveness as well as facilitate access to finance therefore directly contributing to the country’s economic development.

The accreditation and certification of BDSPs ensures that companies with high growth potential, Banks and Financial Institutions, Individual Business Development Service Providers, Government agencies, BMO, Development agencies , fellow travelers and beyond can accept it as a guarantee of standards.

BDSP Curriculum & Tranining

From Inception , the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria SMEDAN has designed the BDSP training curriculum for the certification and accreditation of Business Development Service Providers BDSPs, such that its able to address the identified challenges facing the MSME sub-sector.

As was indicated in the curriculum validation workshop in Abuja on 29th November 2018, the Federal Government through the Minister of Trade and Investment; believes that its critical to support small businesses as drivers for increasing productivity, creating jobs, and boosting the economy as well as ensuring global best practices in the development of MSMEs sector to drive sustainable growth in the country.

In November of 2018, SMEDAN signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Enterprise Development Center (PAN Atlantic University) Lagos and the Kaduna Business School. This agreement gave the two institutions the responsibility of coordinating and executing the institutionalization process of the Business Development Service Providers (BDSPs) Certification and Accreditation program in Nigeria.

In September 2021, SMEDAN awarded Practice Licenses to 150 qualified Business Development Service Providers (BDSPs), who had successfully gone through a rigorous accreditation process which included training, examination, screening, and presentation of skills, among others.

This practice license is a mark of standard and quality enabling practitioners to professionally deliver BDSP services in Nigeria.

Association of Certified Business Development Service Providers Nigeria

The association was formed and incorporated by the first cohort of licensed BDSPs with Corporate Affairs Commission in April 2022 as a platform for advancing professional practice of BDSPs in Nigeria.

Its core mandate is to help build a community of professional certified BDSP practitioners who define excellence and advance ethics for the business development service Providers profession/practice in Nigeria.

It is a powerful network and vibrant community of professional certified BDSP practitioners and acts as springboard for members to exchange ideas, accelerate business growth, strengthen practical knowledge, drive common standards, and enhance client relationships.