Google, Flutterwave to Train 5,000 SMEs in Nigeria

By Adedapo Adesanya

Google Nigeria, in collaboration with Flutterwave, a digital payments company, is set train entrepreneurs of 5,000 small and medium enterprises on how to make use of technology to grow their businesses in the digital age.

The training, which has been tagged the Digital Business Compass, will run from March 3-5 in Lagos, and will focus on equipping businesses with the tools, technologies, and insights needed for them to grow in the digital age.

According to a statement released by the company, sessions will include case studies and live sessions to give attending businesses hands-on experience of how Google and Flutterwave’s products can be leveraged in their business.

Sessions will be followed by consultations with digital business managers and support teams who will give attendees personalised advice on how to grow their businesses.

Speaking about the event, Mrs Tolulope Akinyele, Google Partners Lead, West Africa said, “According to the ministry of industry, trade and investment, Nigeria has over 37.07 million micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs), which account for more than 84 percent of jobs in the country.

“Many of them lack the skills and tools to take advantage of the Web to grow their businesses, however.

“Working with Flutterwave, our goal for holding these clinics is to provide a platform for SMEs to learn skills and master tools that will help them better utilise the Web to grow their businesses.”

“Beyond contributing to the growth of the country’s digital economy, when these businesses better learn about online tools, they join a community of businesses and users that are leveraging Google’s tools to further drive their growth,” Mrs Akinleye added.

On his part, the co-founder and CEO of Flutterwave, Mr Olugbenga Agboola, said, “We have always been passionate about inspiring a new wave of prosperity across Africa. In partnership with Google, we are looking forward to empowering SMEs across Africa to scale and drive up revenue.”

Mr Agboola further said the three-day sessions will help small businesses scale and drive up revenue.

Interested SMEs can apply to attend the sessions on 4 March at http://bit.ly/2STeLXX  and 5 March at  http://bit.ly/2HRlrzC