National Credit Guarantee Company Limited: Powering Inclusive Growth Through Risk-Sharing Guarantees

Posted on June 13, 2025 by Top Celebrities Magazine

The National Credit Guarantee Company Limited (“NCGC” or the “Company”) is set to commence operations on 01 July 2025, as a specialised financial institution established to unlock access to credit and drive inclusive economic growth across Nigeria’s real economy. With an initial capital commitment of ₦100 billion, recently announced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the NCGC is positioned to reshape how Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), manufacturers, and strategic sectors access much-needed financing.

For decades, Nigerian businesses especially micro, small and medium scale enterprises have faced significant challenges accessing loans due to collateral barriers and high-risk perception. NCGC is bridging that gap. By providing partial credit coverage, the company will offer banks and other financial institutions a safety net, allowing them to lend more confidently to eligible borrowers, particularly in underserved and high-growth sectors.

NCGC does not lend directly to businesses. Instead, it partners with Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs) including commercial banks, microfinance banks, fintechs, CBN-licensed institutions and other development financial institutions to share lending risk and support broader financial inclusion. The model is simple but powerful: enable lenders to do more by reducing the risk that prevents them from reaching viable, underfunded borrowers.

Key Beneficiaries

NCGC’s framework targets a wide range of beneficiaries:

MSMEs across all regions
Local manufacturers and value chain operators
Credit consumers
Youth and women-led enterprises
Export-oriented and non-interest-based businesses
Large enterprises within priority sectors

Our Core Services

NCGC offers three primary services:

Partial Credit Guarantees – Covering up to 60% of outstanding principal on qualifying loans.
Co-Guarantees – Collaborating with other institutions to jointly share lending risk.
Technical Assistance – Providing capacity-building support for lenders and borrowers to enhance credit readiness and portfolio quality.

Guiding Principles

The company’s operations are underpinned by globally accepted credit risk-sharing principles:

Risk-sharing, not risk transfer
Strategic issuance to preserve borrower discipline
Tiered eligibility to promote inclusion and developmental impact
Full alignment with CBN regulations

These principles ensure every guarantee issued is responsible, irrevocable, and impact-driven.

Product Suite

NCGC offers a diverse set of guarantee products:

Individual Guarantees – For high-value, project-specific loans.
Portfolio Guarantees – For pool of loans in homogeneous sectors (e.g., agro-processing, creative economy).
Performance Bond Guarantees – For businesses seeking to meet contract-based obligations.

Sectoral Coverage

Our guarantees are available across critical sectors including:

Agriculture & Agribusiness – From inputs to processing and logistics.
Renewable Energy & Green Economy – Including solar, clean tech, and mini-grids.
Manufacturing & Infrastructure – Targeting value-added production and light industry.
Digital & Tech Enterprises – Including startups, fintechs, SaaS, and logistics tech.
Solid Minerals and Metal – Metal fabrication, recycling, beneficiation, coating, etc.
Textile – Fashion, leather works, jewelry
Export-Oriented SMEs – Especially in non-oil sectors.
Women & Youth Enterprises – Including all women-owned businesses (promoter age not more than age 65).
Islamic Enterprises (coming soon) – Non-interest, Shariah-compliant financing models.

A New Era of Credit Confidence

NCGC is more than just a financial institution; it is a catalyst for Nigeria’s economic transformation. By incentivizing lenders to serve more businesses safely and sustainably, NCGC is enabling job creation, driving productivity, and fostering a more self-reliant economy.

Its operational model is built to: