By Aduragbemi Omiyale
To empower and expose local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria to the global market, Ecobank Ellevate has partnered with Ananse Africa and MasterCard Foundation to train fashion entrepreneurs and creatives in Nigeria.
Ecobank Ellevate is a proprietary service offering designed for businesses owned by women, managed by women and those with a high percentage of female board members or employees, as well as companies manufacturing products for women.
Speaking at a hybrid event which took place at the Ecobank Pan Africa Centre (EPAC) in Lagos on Thursday, the Head of Consumer Banking at Ecobank Nigeria, Mrs Korede Demola-Adeniyi, assured that the bank would continue to support initiatives designed to boost the country’s economy.
“This is an innovative impact-driven programme designed to equip women fashion entrepreneurs with valuable business skills to be better empowered and to equip them with more skills in their chosen field in fashion.
“For us as a bank, we are delighted to partner with Ananse and Mastercard Foundation to organise this training program. It aligns with our focus on enabling SMEs to grow their businesses to compete in the global market.
“Remember, we are also using Adire as a key driver in the fashion industry. Last year we took Adire technology to the global arena; we partnered with Ogun State First Lady through Ajose Foundation Adire Market Week, which attracted over 1000 local and foreign exhibitors.
“We organized a successful Lagos Adire Experience and sponsored Africa Fashion Week London 2022 with an Adire pavilion,” the banker said in her welcome address.
Mrs Demola-Adeniyi introduced to the participants the bank’s various products, services, and digital offerings such as “Ecobank Mobile app, Ecobank Online, Ecobank Omnilite, EcobankPay, Ellevate, a relationship package to cater for female-owned and female-run businesses and over 60,000 Ecobank Xpress Point agency banking locations spread across the country, among others.”
Earlier, the founder/CEO of Ananse Africa, Sam Mensah, said the training, which centres on e-commerce and digital marketing, is targeted at women and youths in fashion and creative MSMEs who want to start trading online or improve their current online presence, adding that, participants will receive continued practical support to setup or improve their online stores for three months after the session.
“We intend to take the training to four other African countries, including Senegal, Kenya, Ghana, and Ivory Coast, in the next few months.
“There are lots of economic opportunities for youth and women across Africa in the fashion business. Our technology solution solves key problems behind the market challenges that prevent African fashion designers and creatives from being commercially successful and growing their businesses,” he said.
Mr Mensah listed the benefits to include digital PoS for improved inventory management, local and international payments, marketing exposure, global logistics for increased sales and hassle-free global e-commerce, among others.
Ananse Africa is an e-commerce platform that equips African fashion designers and creatives for local and international trade.
