Ayoba Lifts SMEs With Innovative, Sustainability Skills
. Graduates 50 Entrepreneurs
. U.S Pledges Support To Connect Nigerian Start-Ups To Global Market
By Sulaimon Salau
No fewer than 50 Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) across the country have been groomed for advanced business management and sustainability strategies under the Accelerator Programme sponsored by Ayoba.
Ayoba, in partnership with Adanian Labs took the entrepreneurs through a specialized training on its SME Accelerator Programme, focusing on financial management, business management, problem solving and generating a target market that can aid their businesses.
Speaking at the Exhibition, Graduation, Award ceremony in Lagos, the Head of Ecosystem Development, Ayoba, Sheila Yabo, said the 50 graduands are well grounded are ready to make thing things happen in the economy.
Noting that the potential impact of empowering SMEs is significant, she said the country can experience accelerated economic growth, increased job opportunities, and enhanced competitiveness on the global stage, if much attention is giving to the sector.
According to her, the SME Accelerator programme provides Nigerian SMEs with access to vital resources, including digitalization, mentorship, access to networks, technological support, and mobilization of partners for funding enabling them to overcome barriers and achieve sustainable growth.
Country Head, Adanian Labs, Killian Mayua, urged the SMEs to leverage the platform to get new customers and become much more relevant within the ecosystem.
He said: “Through this accelerator programme, in the last eight months, we have taken a lot of businesses through several survival strategies. We had over 8,000 applications, but we finally picked 50, instead of 30 that we initially planned for. The SMEs come from different sectors such as agric, e-commerce, fashion, art, technology and healthcare among others.”
He said the company considered it very important to focus on growing SMEs because they are critical to the economy and have potentials to create several employment opportunities.
Mayua said, currently the Ayoba- Adanian Labs SME family have over 400 active members and they are working hard to further grow the community.
Political and Economic Deputy Chief, U.S Consulate General, Lagos, Kenise Hill, stressed the need to fully support the start-ups otherwise known as SMEs, which he regarded as the lifeblood of any thriving economy.
Hill, who was represented by Environment, Science, Technology and Health, Specialist, Kelechukwu Onyeke, assured that the United States is committed to supporting Nigeria on its way to greatness.
Hill described the SMEs as agile and creative, adding that they bring about creativity that shakes up the economy and they hold the key to unlocking Nigeria’s huge potentials.
According to Hill, Nigeria’s economy had relied heavily on traditional solutions which has not solved the nation’s problems, hence the need to begin to look at dynamism and growing the young entrepreneurs.
“Start ups are job creation machines, they may be small at first, but their growth is usually explosive. To encourage the SMEs, the nation needs more mentorship programmes and celebrates their successes,” Hill said.
Noting that the United States has been partnering with Nigeria in several ways to boost its socio-economic base, she said the Americans would continue to support and connect the local start-ups with the global market.
Hill said the U.S picked interest in Nigeria because “the quality of Nigerian entrepreneurs is very impressive, and the start up system is a beacon of hope”.
A Beneficiary of the programme and Founder Serene Eduhealth Services Limited, Bilikis Adesokan, said: “The programme has been nothing short of transformative, propelling me and my business to advance in successful moves.
“From refining my business to mastering financial management, the programme equipped me on mastering my knowledge to gaining sustainable growth.
“Today, I can proudly say that the programme has not only transformed my business but also transformed me to be the leader that I am,” she said.
Ayoba, is a revolutionizing communication, entertainment & e-commerce application for SME Accelerator programme aimed at empowering and accelerating the growth of small businesses in Nigeria.
