By GLORIA EZIRIM

Standard Chartered and PricewaterhouseCoopers, PwC have announced a partnership to provide training for small-and medium-sized, SME, enterprises in Ghana, Nigeria and Zambia.

According to a joint statement by both companies, the Nigerian session will take place on 29th and 30th September 2011 and will provide Standard Chartered’s SME customers with basic financial management and accounting training as well as cover the Bank’s processes and the products and services available. Through the workshops, the statement noted that Standard Chartered aims to increase its customers’ capacity to access more capital and services to grow their business, and offer them the opportunity to network with other business owners.

The statement added that Standard Chartered is stepping-up its efforts in the SME sector to help provide a more favourable business environment for smaller businesses, especially as the bank’s 2010 social and economic impact report on Nigeria highlighted a real need for advisory services for SMEs, including advice on markets, corporate governance, accounting and regulation.

Carol Oyedeji, Regional Head of Consumer Banking, West Africa, Standard Chartered Bank said: “SMEs are the backbone of economies worldwide and a key driver of growth and job creation. They rely heavily on bank finance to fund their growth, but often lack the robust track records and financials they need to borrow at affordable rates.

“They also often underestimate how close partnerships with banks can help them to meet their needs. At Standard Chartered we are committed to serving SMEs in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. By partnering with accounting experts from PwC, we hope to address some of the distinctive needs of SMEs and forge deeper relationships with our customers.”

Speaking in the same vein, Ken Igbokwe, Managing Partner PwC Nigeria said: “PwC’s support for SMEs goes back a long way because we recognise that the SME sector in Nigeria is an important building block for the transformation of the Nigerian economy.