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Tag: Technology

  • MTN Foundation Trains Over 2,000 Young Nigerians in Digital, Business Skills

    MTN Foundation Trains Over 2,000 Young Nigerians in Digital, Business Skills

    he MTN Foundation has trained more than 2,000 young Nigerians in digital and business skills under its Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Skills and Training Programme.

    Speaking on the initiative in a statement, the Executive Director of the MTN Foundation, Mrs Odunayo Sanya, said the programme was designed to equip young entrepreneurs with practical digital skills tailored to their business needs.

    She said small businesses remained the backbone of the Nigerian economy and that supporting young entrepreneurs with simple, affordable digital tools could significantly improve productivity and drive long-term growth.

    According to Sanya, the training, now in its seventh cohort, focuses on helping Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) adopt digital tools to enhance productivity and sustainability. She noted that SMEs account for over 90 per cent of businesses in Nigeria and employ a large proportion of the workforce, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

    The foundation said the programme followed a call for applications in September 2025, which attracted more than 5,000 entries from Nigerians aged between 18 and 35 years.

    Sanya explained that successful applicants are currently participating in a five-week virtual training programme scheduled to end in February 2026. The training began with a general onboarding session across four business tracks and is focused on practical digital growth for small businesses.

    Participants were drawn from sectors including food services, fashion, retail, logistics, beauty and printing, she said, adding that the training emphasises the use of affordable digital tools suitable for small and early-stage enterprises.

    The programme also promotes gradual digital transformation, encouraging participants to digitise basic operations before scaling up over time.

    The sessions are facilitated by a Business Analyst and Digital Transformation Expert, Mr Babajide Jolaolu-Kehinde, who highlighted the benefits of automating repetitive tasks to save time, reduce errors and improve efficiency.

    He introduced participants to tools such as WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business for customer engagement, as well as MTN’s MoMo API for digital payments. Through case studies, he demonstrated how digital tools could help small businesses expand their customer base and increase sales.

    The foundation added that participants would continue to have access to learning materials and recorded sessions throughout the duration of the programme.

  • New SMEDAN DG Pledges Improved Service Using Technology  

    New SMEDAN DG Pledges Improved Service Using Technology  

    The new Director General of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Mr. Charles Odu has said that the agency leverages technology to drive its service to small businesses.

    The Director General made the pledge during the handing over ceremony by the outgoing DG, Dr Olawale Fasanya Monday in Abuja.  

    Mr. Odu noted that while SMEDAN’s goal remains unchanged the method and approach must be improved upon stressing that the agency will work private and public institutions at all levels to eliminate barriers, whether in policy or infrastructure, that limit the growth of SMEs and threaten their survival.

    “We will leverage useful tools and technology to achieve our core objective, beginning with the rapid formalization of small and medium-sized businesses to improve the quality of our data and the services we provide.

     “We will explore local and international funding opportunities and democratize access to capital for entrepreneurs with valuable ideas and the right motivation no matter where they live in the country.

    “Nigerians should be able to conceive of an idea and register a business seamlessly. They must be given a fighting chance with readily available access to funding and a business environment conducive to growth,” he said.

    While thanking President Bola Tinubu for the opportunity to serve, he insisted that the agency will continue to fulfill its role as the main driver of economic growth, the source of innovation and the engine of job creation. “We have the duty to ensure they receive the support and resources they need to thrive,” he added.

    “SMEs will receive the training and skills they need to grow sustainably, meet local demand and become global players by exporting value. We will build production hubs where businesses can gain affordable access to the facilities they need, and we will showcase their products to the nation and the rest of the world through masterful storytelling and exhibitions and fairs staged in partnership with relevant stakeholders.

    “We will achieve this together as a team united by a common purpose. I am eager to collaborate with all of you to make a difference. Together, we can shape a future where our small and medium enterprises are not only surviving but thriving, and in doing so, contribute significantly to the prosperity of our nation.

    Earlier, SMEDAN outgoing DG, Dr. Fasanya, said there was a need to support SMEs to grow as they contribute about 80 per cent to employment in Nigeria.

    “The population of this sector is enormous. Like the last survey, we have not less than 39.6million people and largely most of them are informal. You cannot move from one house to the other without seeing one man’s business. It is important to segregate nano from micro in giving the right attention.

    “We really need to support them because they are not usually affected by the economic shocks. We are on this journey together. I will keep offering my advice and I believe that very soon, people will begin to feel the sector is changing,” he said.