Smart Stewards Targets SME Funding, Wealth Inequality at Summit

Mary Nnah

Financial education organisation Smart Stewards will convene more than 3,000 entrepreneurs, investors and professionals in Maryland, Lagos on Saturday, 19 September 2026 for its 11th Annual Summit, ELEVATE 2026. 

The gathering comes amid rising inflation, business closures and widening wealth inequality that continue to erode Nigeria’s middle class.

Organisers said economic uncertainty is forcing Nigerians to rethink how they earn, invest and preserve wealth. ELEVATE 2026 will shift the conversation from short-term income to building assets, businesses and financial systems capable of creating value over the long term.

The programme will provide practical insights on earning, saving, investing and building sustainable wealth in a volatile economy.

Speaking ahead of the event, Founder and Lead Coach of Smart Stewards, Sola Adesakin, said the summit is about access as much as information. 

“We have never believed that information alone builds wealth. Wealth is built through capacity, through connection, and through access to the right rooms and the right capital. That is what ELEVATE is: a room where founders, investors and everyday builders stand shoulder to shoulder, and where a wealth dynasty stops being an idea and starts becoming a plan. This economy will shake many things. It should not be able to shake what we build together.”