Google Nigeria, in partnership with digital payments company Flutterwave, will this week, 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.
Called the ‘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 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, and 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.
Quoting the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, which said Nigeria has over 37.07 million micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs), which account for more than 84 per cent of jobs in the country, Google Partners Lead, West Africa, Tolulope Akinyele, said: “Many of them lack the skills and tools to take advantage of the Web to grow their businesses, but working with Flutterwave, our goal for holding these clinics is to provide a platform for SMEs to learn skills and master tools that will help them better utilise the Web to grow their businesses.”
CEO of Flutterwave, Olugbenga Agboola, 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.”
Helping these businesses grow is a net positive for all parties including Google, Akinyele said, adding: “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.”
