By Favour Nnabugwu

Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and Globacom have signed a  pact to empower 17 million Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (SMEs) in the country. Officials of the two organisations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the partnership at Globacom office in Lagos.

The Director-General of SMEDAN, Mr. Bature Umar Masari explained that the partnership which will run for an initial period of five years with the opportunity for attractive call rates as Closed User Groups (CUGs) and a channel to advertise their products and services via Call Back Ring Tone Masari said, “SMEDAN is happy to partner with an indigenous company which has become a global brand.

Ever since Glo demystified the myth that per-second billing for calls was not possible, they have not stopped developing products and services that are beneficial to Nigerians, especially the masses”.

He explained that the project will also give 10 percent of the net revenue from the partnership to select Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) which  subscribed to the package, adding that, “It is also laudable that this initiative was well thought through and has stakeholders input and buy-in,”

While explaining the details of the agreement, Globacom’s Head, Corporate Sales, Kamaldeen Shonibare, said that the company would through the partnership empower small and medium enterprises that are members of SMEDAN in their businesses by providing them access to grants, soft loans and capacity training programmes.
The training opportunities, he explained, were designed to equip entrepreneurs with current value-adding global best practices that will help them reposition their businesses. He said Globacom teamed up with SMEDAN on the initiative because Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises were the engine room for the rapid growth of the economy because of their closeness and importance to the day-to-day existence of the people.
“As a proudly Nigerian company, Globacom is partnering with SMEDAN to catapult Nigeria to greatness through the empowerment of SMEDAN’s over 17 million members. We will support SMEDAN and its affiliates with funds, sensitisation workshops and business tools.
“We will also support the Industrial Development Centres being established in some states of the federation.

Our dream is to catapult numerous five thousand naira businesses to a half a million naira enterprises within one year,” Shonibare said. He added that Globacom’s “partnership with SMEDAN is in sync with our irrevocable commitment to the promotion of the welfare of Nigerians through our various life-transforming empowerment programmes. Over the years, we have invested heavily in such programmes. Our empowerment schemes are multi-faceted and they cut across various demographics.”
Shonibare assured SMEDAN members that they would enjoy more telecoms benefit as Globacom had concluded arrangements to empower them with specialised lines for better and seamless communication. He reiterated Globacom’s continuous support to all progressive areas of human endeavors including sports and entertainment. He also encouraged entrepreneurs to take full advantage of the window of opportunity that will lead to more business prospects in the future.