Living in the countryside doesn’t mean farming or fishing is the only business you can engaged in. There are so many profitable business ideas in rural areas. In this article, I shall unveil in details, very profitable small business ideas for small towns and villages in Nigeria these days.
Of course, we know that most entrepreneurs are careful not to waste capital when starting a business.
One of the things they focus on before starting the business is return on investment (ROI). This is one of the reasons why many entrepreneurs often choose cities as the location of their business, but some businesses that do well locally include:
1. Provide Internet Service
Internet services have been disrupted in many rural areas of Nigeria due to their remoteness or inability to connect to major telecommunications providers.
However, with the creation of satellite-based internet connection services such as Starlink, entire villages and remote areas are now connected to the internet, thanks to Tesla founder Elon Musk.
Although the cost of Starlink service is high for individuals, you can provide Starlink Internet service to people in rural areas by paying an internet connection fee.
If this business idea interests you, you can take a look at our article on the cost of establishing and maintaining Starlink in Nigeria.
2. Freelance Writing
You can provide this service in any rural area with good internet and electricity. If you have a laptop, you can get started right away.
Just because you’re a freelancer doesn’t mean you can’t work as a freelancer online. When you are done, you can choose solar energy as your energy.
3. Provision Store
Although it is known that many people living in rural areas try to produce their own needs such as food and local clothing, the truth is that no group can be self-sufficient.
Rural people need other things that they cannot produce. Therefore, you need to have a store that sells products regularly.
Best selling products in Nigerian small towns and villages:
• Toiletries
• Toothbrushes
• Bread
• Sardine
• Beverages
• Lighter
• Matches
Make sure you have a direct link to a larger store where you can buy these items wholesale (cheaper) and sell them in your store for a profit.
4. Fashion Designers/Clothing Stores
Village people are people who love beautiful things, want beautiful things, and need beautiful things. They watch television and movies, they see people in the city wearing nice clothes, and they want the same clothes. Therefore, you can make money by opening your own shop and selling clothes at cheap prices.
5. Electronics Store
There is now electricity in many rural areas. They can afford electronic devices such as televisions, radios and DVD players. You can open a store selling this product and you will be amazed at your sales.
6. Grinding Mill
Your factory produces corn, oats, barley, etc. It can serve for grinding other grains. This is a great business idea for those living in rural areas, but you will need electricity to run your business.
7. Supplying Vegetables
There are so many important fruits and vegetables now and people in the city want healthy things that they can grow themselves or just hire people to grow it for you and sell to people in the city.
For example, bananas are sold in large quantities in every village in Nigeria, and there are women who move to big cities like Lagos, Ibadan, Enugu, Abuja, Asaba, Kano etc and most of them love ordering vegetables from the rural areas for personal consumption and sales.
Becoming a fruit and vegetable vendor is a good business idea for rural people in Nigeria.
8. Commercial Transportation
You can help people move their belongings and goods from rural communities to cities or from cities to cities. This business is capital intensive if you start with a large number of trucks.
9. Milk/Dairy Shop
Most rural communities have large dairy farms. Therefore, when looking for business ideas in rural areas, you should consider running a dairy farm.
10. Establish a Private School
Public Schools in Nigeria Building Schools as a Business Idea for Rural People. For instance, in the year 2015, a couple who just returned from the city after retirement to the village of Ofagbe, in Delta state of Nigeria decided to establish a private school, as at now, 2024, the school boast of over a 700 pupils.
Strictly speaking, rural communities often have few qualified teachers because they often migrate to cities where they can get better opportunities.
But not everyone lives in a big city. We must remember that there are rural adults who seek good education for their church.
So, you can open a school in such a community and provide students with a good education. This will both help employ educated people in society and ensure quality education is provided to students.
11. Poultry/Livestock Farm
It is true that poultry farming is a very good business but it is often overlooked for many reasons. There’s something interesting about this.
You don’t need a lot of money before you commit because it’s not a big deal (depending on how big you want to be).
You also don’t need a lot of land to raise chickens, which can be several birds.
In order not to lose your investment, you must first make sure you get used to it. But there is a huge demand for poultry products and this is a proposed business idea.
12. Fertilizer/Pesticide Storage
Gone are the days when farmers used machetes to cut weeds; Agriculture has developed pesticides that make it easier to control weeds. Effective marketing of agricultural inputs and chemicals in rural Nigeria.
13. Barbing Saloon
Opening a barber shop does not require a lot of money. The opening of the barber shop will not affect your other activities you are involved in.
This is because most people in small towns and villages go to their farms in the morning and return before dark to cut their hair.
14. Mechanic Shop
Often car owners in rural areas have to take their cars to nearby towns for repairs. If you are a well-trained mechanic, you can open a repair shop; they guarantee excellent service and many people will support you.
15. Fruit Supply
You can open a fruit and juice shop for those who like it. You can start a local fruit business in Nigeria with less than 50,000 Naira.
For example, most people in the city have limited supplies of good fruits, and if you can establish good relationships with the vendors in the city, you can become their vendor and expand your business.
16. Electronic/Electrical Repair Service
As mentioned earlier, many people living in rural areas now have electronic devices such as televisions, satellite dish, solar power system and radios.
These gadgets can go wrong at any unexpected time, and if you are a certified mechanic, you can open a shop that repairs electronics such as televisions and radios.
17. Plumbing Services
If you understand plumbing, you can open the plumbing. You can make more money by paying to train a few young people in this skill.
18. Selling of Cold Drinks/Water
This is another very lucrative small business ideas for small towns and villages in Nigeria. One prevailing event in Nigerian rural areas is fun-fair every weekend evenings. You can take advantage of this and open a drinking bar for selling cold drinks and water.
19. Computer Training Center
This is one of the profitable small business ideas for small towns and villages in Nigeria these days. Trust me, you can make a lot of money by teach people in rural areas how to use computers; and also doing their type-writing jobs. Computers are tools that will change their lives and situations.
20. Car Washing Service
Car washing is another profitable small business ideas for small towns and villages in Nigeria these days; they are rare in rural communities so you can cash in on this. Imagine being the only person doing this kind of work in a busy area. You can work without competition.
21. Laundry Services
Another very profitable small business ideas for small towns and villages in Nigeria these days is laundry popularly referred to as dry-cleaner in the rural areas. You should know that not all rural people are poor. Your cleaning business can help people as well as other businesses in the area who need cleaning services.
22. Local Tour Guide
Some of the rural areas of Nigeria are tourist sites; if you live in a community that attracts tourists, you’re in business! Prepare yourself, be persuasive, give visitors some safety tips, and educate potential visitors about your community’s culture, traditions and help them navigate the interesting areas of your community.
