MTN Nigeria and Microsoft, in a partnership, held the first session of the MTN-Microsoft Training Program in Lagos, in an effort to create sustainable and scalable initiatives aimed at driving growth within the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) segment of the Enterprise Business in Nigeria.
The program is aimed at empowering the country’s fast-growing SME segment to streamline their financial and business processes, improve customer interactions and make better decisions with integrated intelligence.
Doubling the number of training events in response to the overwhelming interest of SMEs in the industry, the program was designed to provide entrepreneurs with a comprehensive set of Microsoft Office skills required to aid the growing commercialisation of small businesses, which in turn, is part of a larger effort to keep contributing to the country’s economic growth.
The training allowed for business owners to standardise their entire organisational business processes, including sales, finance, human resources, operations, logistics and marketing to function as one integrated whole, by connecting data across accounting, sales, purchasing, inventory and customer interactions.
The SMEs gained access to a holistic view of business management and chart financial performance in real time. Over 50 SMEs benefited from the 6-hour session and gained first hand experience on how to use Microsoft Excel to improve accounting and record keeping.
Speaking on the experience, one of the entrepreneurs, Cecelia Edom, CEO of Cece Confectionary said, “This has been very instrumental in helping to bring technology and management closer to entrepreneurs. It was a great opportunity to show anyone that they can learn the basics of computer science in a fun and engaging way.” The participants demonstrated great enthusiasm throughout the sessions, as well as the willingness to learn how to perfect their organisational skills.
Addressing guests at the training, General Manager, Enterprise Marketing, Onyinye Ikenna-Emeka represented by Senior Manager, SME Segment at MTN Nigeria, Damilola Runsewe said, “We believe we can make a significant impact by providing free resources for a generation of entrepreneurs who are passionate about developing and commercialising small scale businesses,”
He further emphasized that, “MTN Nigeria has decided to open its doors to all SMEs who are committed to learning and building. We are interested in supporting anyone and everyone who can contribute to improving Nigeria’s economy.”
MTN Nigeria continues to seek ways to contribute to the Nigerian economy by extending its partnership capabilities to brighten the lives of small business owners within the country. The training is the first in the series of training collaborations, MTN has planned for small business owners across various regions in the country to deliver value to businesses. 
