Airtel Hosts Business Forum to Boost SMEs

In demonstration of its commitment to empower entrepreneurs in Nigeria to succeed in their business endeavours, Airtel Nigeria, has announced plans to hold a special Business Forum that will offer Small and Medium Business owners a platform to interact, network, learn and exchange ideas on key business matters affecting SMEs.

The forum, which is entitled“Emerging Business Today, Market Leader Tomorrow”, is billed to hold on Thursday, April 24th, 2014 at the Abuja Sheraton Hotel, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and it is designed to empower entreprenuers with requisite business skills and solutions that will enable business productivity and growth.

Founder of Leap Africa, Ndidi Nwuneli, has confirmed participation at the event and she will join other industry captains to facilitate discussions at the forthcoming Business Forum.

The Business forum, a capacity enhancement session, will create networking opportunities for the over 300 participants and will provide robust interactive platforms for business owners to gain valuable business insights in over six SMEs industry categories including Services, Manufacturing, Transportation, Education, M-commerce and Financial services.

The forum will be chaired by successful industry leaders who will give expert business tips in each focus area.

Commenting on the Business Forum, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director, Airtel Nigeria, Segun Ogunsanya, said the telco is committed to providing the required platforms to assist entrepreneurs to succeed and also nurture the business aspirations of players in the Small and Medium Scale Enterprise (SME) sub-sector. 

“As a truly Nigerian company, we value the entrepreneurial drive of our men and women. This is why we create and offer products and platforms that will help them achieve their dreams. The Airtel SME Forum is another way of empowering our entrepreneurs to be innovative and also contribute to the prosperity of the nation,” he said.

The Airtel SMEs Business Forum will feature product and service exhibitions in about ten different categories of business by partners. It is supported by Abuja Enterprise Agency, Cotek Intergrated Technology, Arewa Metals and Interswitch, among others.

Since it started operations in Nigeria, Airtel has maintained consistencyin its efforts to empower Nigerian businesses through a wide range of unique platforms.

Recently, Airtel Nigeria held a similar forum in Port Harcourt in a bid to nurture budding entrepreneurs in the South-South region. Industry reviews rank the company among the few that have consistently demonstrated commitment towards the growth and development of small businesses in Nigeria with various innovative products and bespoke offerings.

The company currently provides business solutions to the Association of Small Business Owners of Nigeria (ASBON), Association of Private Educators of Nigeria (ASPEN), Nigerian Bar Association and Association of Fast Food Confectioners of Nigeria (AFFCON), among many others.

Bharti Airtel, the fourth largest telecommunications operator in the world, is committed to improving the quality of primary education delivery, youth development as well as enhancing the capabilities of business owners and entrepreneurs in Nigeria.

Last year, it unveiled a programme for entrepreneurs tagged the Airtel SME Forum. The forum, which is designed to empower small business owners to succeed in their endeavours, held in key cities across the country and featured prominent speakers including Fela Durotoye.