Stanbic IBTC Bank says it is
collaborating with Google to train youths and Small and Medium-Scale
Enterprises (SMEs) operators in Nigeria on digital skills.
A statement issued by the bank on
Saturday said that the collaboration would facilitate capacity-building
for SMEs in the country, adding that beneficiaries would be trained on
skills and value of digital marketing.
It said that the training would also
help entrepreneurs to strengthen their businesses and support digital
education initiatives geared toward job creation.
“By organising the capacity building
sessions in different parts of the country, the partners hope to build
critical mass of businesses through increased adoption of digital
technology and enhance their contributions to economic development,’’ it
said.
The bank added that the programme
scheduled to kick-off in Lagos and Kaduna on July 19, would also hold in
seven other states across the country.
It said that the initiative aimed to digitally empower no fewer than 1,000 SMEs operators in one year.
The statement quoted Mr Obinna
Ukachukwu, Head, SME Banking, Stanbic IBTC, as saying that digital
technology on empowering youth and stimulating growth of SMEs was
imperative for diversification.
Ukachukwu said that the bank had
embarked on several capacity-building initiatives in various sectors of
the economy, including transport and logistics, trade and finance “to
support individuals and businesses’’.
He pointed out that SME was pivotal to economic growth of any nation, and that Nigeria should not be an exception.
He stated that the bank’s collaboration
with Google would expose the youth and SME operators to modern and
innovative marketing, financial and management skills, using digital
technology.
This, according to him, will help them to achieve successes in their endeavours.
“We are quite pleased to partner with Google on this strategic initiative.
“Our ultimate goal is to cause, in the
long- term, an exponential growth in the digital technology space,
knowing that this is the path to the future, with the youth and SMEs as
the main anchors,” he stated.
Mrs Bunmi Banjo, Head of Digital
Education, Google Africa, according to the statement, said that the
company was happy to collaborate with Stanbic IBTC to provide free
digital training to local entrepreneurs.
“With over 97 million online
subscribers, Nigeria continues to be one of the highest online
populations in the world, and this presents big opportunities for the
small and medium business sector.
“We believe that when these SMEs have
the right digital skills, they can better leverage the Internet to grow
their businesses, create more jobs and boost economic growth in
Nigeria,’’ Banjo said.
She added that the collaboration
entailed further training focus on general digital skills for
proprietors of SMEs, who were between 18 years and 35 years of age.
According to her, the curriculum would
address such issues as e-payment and online banking, using digital
platforms to grow businesses and hiring and retaining third parties.
source: (NAN)
0 comments :
Post a Comment