Ecobank Group has partnered with Visa to provide Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) across Ecobank’s footprint with access to Visa’s ‘Practical Business Skills’ educational resource.
This, the bank achieved did through its Commercial Banking division and assisted by the Ecobank Academy.
The online training forms part of Ecobank’s MSME Booster series and provides online learning tools for MSMEs, that are seeking growth as they prepare for the new business year and has been specially designed to cater for the needs of both seasoned business owners and startups keen on taking their businesses to the next level.
From the training session, participants will learn from key modules including financial management, how to promote a business, managing employees, creating a business plan and digitizing their business, amongst others.
The training course is part of Ecobank’s mission to help MSMEs sharpen their business skills and make an immense contribution to the continent’s economic fortunes.
Very important to note is the fact that SMEs provide about 80% of Africa’s employment and are the anchors holding a new middle class, fueling demand for new goods and services, thus, are at the heart of the region’s economic growth.
MSMEs are critical to the achievement of the SDGs
While announcing the partnership, Carol Oyedeji, Acting Group Executive, Commercial Banking & Deputy Managing Director Ecobank Nigeria, said:
“MSMEs across Africa are collectively critical to the achievement of many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and that is why we place great emphasis on their upskilling. We are delighted to partner with Visa on a training programme that will help them understand how to get started, how to manage a business and how to navigate the tough process of building and growing a business.”
Oyedeji
On his part, Carl Manlan, Vice President, Inclusive Impact & Sustainability Visa CEMEA averred that:
“We are excited to continue to collaborate with our partners in Sub-Saharan Africa to provide digital financial services and skills that empower Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. The extension of Practical Business Skills through the MSME Booster Series, will help to bridge the skills gaps that exist among youth and women, and enable them to take full advantage of the digital economy.”
Manlan
Other similar initiatives run by Ecobank to support SMEs include the Global Skills Initiative, a collaboration with Microsoft, LinkedIn and GitHub and Ecobank Academy to upskill and equip SMEs and their employees across the Sub-Saharan African region with digital skills and knowledge to reach their full potential at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Global Skills Initiative also seeks to play a vital role in driving Africa’s economic resurgence.
This initiative came on board at a time where SMEs were seen to have been significantly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic with its attendant lockdowns and disruptions to supply chains, plummeting sales, lost revenues and operational challenges.
The pandemic made business owners more aware of the need to close the digital skills gap within their workplaces and made them realize that there was the need for an improved digitally diverse talent pool that is essential to a sustainable post-pandemic recovery.
It is in this light that Ecobank, through its Commercial Banking Segment is now helping business owners through the Global Skills Initiative to close the digital skills gap within their chosen fields and also improve the digital capabilities of their employees.
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