Firms partner to support local small-scale industries
With the belief that small businesses remain the pillars of not just Nigeria but the global economy, over 40,000 small businesses will be empowered through skills and knowledge through a series of online training courses.
Partnering to deliver this mission, Glovo and Visa said this initiative will help bolster small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) so that they can thrive and succeed in an increasingly digital world.
The online training is geared towards aspiring local business owners who want to start a business as well as growth-minded owners of small and medium-sized businesses looking for ways to streamline current practices and expand. The target is small businesses with 10 or fewer employees.
This partnership comes at an important time for small businesses to overcome persistent challenges including complex regulations, inadequate digital infrastructure and a scarcity of digital talent.
The series will cover a range of business-focused topics including digital payments, marketing campaigns, social media usage and money management and will be available across nine countries in southwest Europe and Africa (Spain, Portugal, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya and Nigeria).
Head of Impact and Sustainability, Glovo, Sébastien Pellion, said they aim to strengthen a collaborative ecosystem for entrepreneurs and business owners. Adding that only 20 per cent of SMEs in the markets they operate sell via digital channels, he said this would help them tap into new customer bases.
He said the partnership is another opportunity to support SMEs on their digitalisation journey and accelerate small and independent businesses in Nigeria and Africa, which has ample opportunities for local business owners.
Vice President/Head of Social Impact, CEMEA, Visa, Carl Manlan, reiterated that small-scale industries are the backbone of economic growth and inclusion and equipping them with innovative solutions and resources is essential.
“In Africa, SMEs account for 95 per cent of all registered businesses and contribute to about 50 per cent of the total GDP in Sub-Saharan countries. Globally we are moving from hundreds of millions of sellers, large and small, to billions of sellers around the world. Anyone today can trade and we are working to provide services at scale to reach these sellers and help them flourish.
“This partnership will provide 40,000 SMEs with the opportunity to improve skills, knowledge and overcome some business challenges while leveraging the opportunities of e-commerce and digital payments,” he said.
