By Omobayo Azeez
Google Nigeria, in partnership with digital payments company, Flutterwave, is set to kick off a series of business clinics aimed at helping 5,000 merchants across Nigeria acquire the skills and tools needed to leverage the web for growth.
Tagged ‘Digital Business Compass’, the first clinic sessions will be run from 3 – 5 March in Lagos, and will focus on equipping businesses with the tools, technologies and insights needed for them to grow in the digital age, the organisers says in a statement on Wednesday.
According to them, the 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.
This will be followed by consultations with digital business managers and support teams who will give attendees personalised advice on how they can use Google and Flutterwave’s tools and solutions to grow their businesses.
According to Tolulope Akinleye, Google partners lead for West Africa, the training would go a long way lifting SMSEs which according to the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment number more than 37.07 million and 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 the SMEs to learn skills and master tools that will help them better utilise the web to grow their businesses,” Akinleye said.
On his part, Olugbenga Agboola, co-founder and CEO of Flutterwave 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.”
He added that helping these businesses grow is a net positive for all parties including Google.
“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,” he said.
