WEMA Bank said it has concluded the first cohort of its Wema Export Trade Academy.

This programme aims to equip Nigerian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with essential skills, insights, and resources for entering and thriving in the global market.

The Academy, which hosted over 40 participants in Lagos, highlights Wema Bank’s commitment to enhancing Nigeria’s economic landscape by opening new global opportunities for local businesses.

Led by top industry facilitators like Dr Bamidele Ayemibo, renowned as the ‘Export Doctor; and Dr Nduka Udeh, founder of Shoptomydoor.com and a pioneer in cost-effective global logistics and procurement services, the five-day sessions delved into key areas of export documentation, compliance, financial planning, and risk management.

Speaking on the Academy’s impact, Dr Ayemibo said: “What Wema Bank is trying to do is support SME businesses within the export space and those that are trying to come in, and that is what we have been doing over the past five days. The goal is to help those already doing exports to do it in a better and more sustainable way. The essence of the conversations we have had in the past few days is for them to learn and implement; some of them who are here are already exporting, and with the training, they have now learned, they realized they are now doing some things wrongly and can do things better.”

Also speaking, the Division Head of Operations, General Services, and BPR at Wema Bank, Mr Tajudeen Bakare said: “We have over 40 participants from all over Nigeria in attendance, training them and equipping them with how to access financing for their export businesses. The SME businesses have established relationships with us; we are going to handhold them and grow their businesses. We are not just training and leaving them to struggle for themselves; we are going to equip them with the necessary resources, both financial and skills that they require. It is going to be a partnership that begins with them.”

One of the participants at the program, Mr Dele Badejo, a longtime importer, said the Academy has been a transformative experience for him.

Badejo said: “I have been in import for a few years, and I’m just going to start exporting. The scarcity of dollars has made me want to embrace export and for me, Wema Bank is doing a very laudable thing, because I see a lot of opportunities in export, looking ahead of crude oil in Nigeria there are better opportunities and even bigger opportunities that can create a lot of value chain for the country and the people also, I want to appreciate Wema Bank for thinking out of the box to bring out this initiative because I would be able to fund my export business, This initiative is also very important for Nigeria as it will bring a lot of opportunities for many people because now I will be able to employ more people and for me, it’s an eye opener and I want to thank the management of Wema Bank for opening our eyes to these opportunities.”