As part of
efforts to strengthen the knowledge base of small, medium and growing
businesses, with a view to boosting their operating capacity, Nigeria’s most
innovative and fastest growing telecommunications company, Etisalat, last
weekend held the Port Harcourt edition of its one-day business networking and
knowledge impact seminar known as ‘Market Access.’
The event,
with the theme, ‘Facilitating Market Access to Small and Growing Businesses’,
had about 500 entrepreneurs from the small, medium and young businesses segment
of the economy, financiers, regulators and entrepreneurial coaches in
attendance.
Speaking at
the event, Head, Business Market Segment, Etisalat Nigeria, Bidemi Ladipo said
the special interest of Etisalat in SMEs was because of shared commonalities.
“In terms of age, you can say that we are young, but in terms of number of
subscribers, you can actually say that we are big. We are bringing relevant
people together to add value to small and young businesses”. He explained that
Etisalat has created a Close User Group (CUG) for Market Access so that
attendees can make the most of the networking opportunities generated at the
seminars, as long as they are on the network’s Easybusiness platform, which he
disclosed is specially packaged to aid SMEs communicate at affordable rates.
He
congratulated the entrepreneurs in attendance and expressed joy that Etisalat
is able to visit the Garden City with the second edition of programme, adding
that “there are lots of testimonies to show for the first Market Access held in
Port Harcourt last year.”
Director
General of the Small & Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria
(SMEDAN), Alhaji Mohammed Umar, represented at the event by the Acting
Director, Coordination, SMEDAN, Monday Ewans described small businesses as the
nucleus of the economy. “This is why we take them seriously and highly appreciate
the efforts of Etisalat Nigeria at empowering SMEs because by so doing, the
economy is given a boost while the people are psychologically and economically
strengthened.”
Addressing
participants at the session, Head, High Value Events and Sponsorships, Etisalat
Nigeria, Ebi Atawodi expressed delight at the success of the Port Harcourt
edition of Market Access, noting that the massive turnout and testimonies of
the impact of the first seminar was encouraging.
“At Etisalat, we are passionate about the
growth of young businesses and entrepreneurs. We remain committed to providing
them with every necessary support they need to thrive in their various
industries.”
The Market
Access seminars, now in the second year, are being held across cities in Nigeria,
in partnership with the Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) of the Pan Atlantic
University, with support from the Small and Medium Enterprises Development
Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and the Ministry of Trade and Investment.
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