MTN Nigeria has rolled out plans to uplift and empower MSMEs in the country to add more to the digital skills available to them.
The Chief Enterprise and Business Officer of MTN, Lynda Saint-Nwafor, who presented the welcome address on behalf of the CEO at the Revv Programme said “When MSMEs thrive, the economy thrives. Our goal is to empower MSMEs in today’s digital economy.” She also revealed that the response from the public to register exceeded expectations.”
It would be recalled that the advent of Covid-19 at the beginning of this year and the subsequent nation-wide lockdown took the business world by surprise. Several MSMEs were forced to shut down with millions of people losing their jobs. The pandemic resulted in a need for MSMEs to function virtually to stay afloat, viable and competitive. However, the exclusionary nature of the Nigerian digital space made it challenging for several MSMEs to access the tools and platforms needed to facilitate business activities.
The Chairman of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDAN), Chief Femi Pedro, delivering the keynote address, spoke of his interest in MSMEs and the efforts at SMEDAN.
“We have 1.7 million MSMEs registered on the SMEDAN platform and it is our wish that the knowledge gained as well as the opportunity to obtain grants from the government, will position businesses for better in the coming years.”
He thanked MTN for its contribution towards enabling MSMEs access the tools they need in today’s digital economy and implored the company to continue in its efforts on MSMEs.
The closing ceremony featured the recognition of the Y’ello 200, MSMEs selected from the Revv programme which MTN would empower with tools and awareness creation opportunities through exclusive access to a range of technology-enabled, productivity tools and services for six months.
Representatives from the Y’ello 200 expressed gratitude to MTN for the Revv Programme.
A representative of Glisten International Academy, an educational institute based in Abuja who was announced as one of the Y’ello 200, said, “This programme has been enlightening and engaging. We thank MTN for putting this together.”
Credit: thenationonlineng.net
