Toriola, Wigwe, Olusanya Join Dozie to Discuss SMEs Growth

Emma Okonji
In a show of support for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria, MTN Nigeria CEO, Karl Olutokun Toriola, will join industry leaders to discuss ways of creating a supportive environment for SMEs at a webinar organised by Microfinance Bank, Sparkle Nigeria.

The webinar, which is collaboration with the Entrepreneurship Development Centre, Pan Atlantic University, Lagos, is billed to hold on February 7, 2022.

According to the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics, SMEs in Nigeria have contributed about 48 per cent of the national GDP in the last five years. With a total number of about 17.4 million, they account for about 50 per cent of industrial jobs and nearly 90 per cent of the manufacturing sector, in terms of the number of enterprises.

Considering the contribution of SMEs to Nigeria’s GDP, it has become pertinent to discover and implement new ways to mitigate some of the challenges that SMEs in Nigeria face. The organisers have stated that the webinar, themed, “SMEs as engineers of growth; Simplifying Support for Small Businesses” would see leading industry experts proffer solutions on how to tackle common challenges facing SMEs in Nigeria.

Panellists at the webinar include CEO, Flour Mills of Nigeria Group, Boye Olusanya, CEO, Access Bank Plc, Herbert Wigwe, Deputy Director, Enterprise Development Centre, Pan-Atlantic University, Nneka Okekearu; Senior Vice President in charge of Central Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMEA) at Visa, Otto Abasi Williams and Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Sparkle, Uzoma Dozie. The webinar will be moderated by Editor, BusinessDay Nigeria, Lehle Balde.