MTN Business is supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to bridge the digital gap and take their businesses online to improve their operations and compete in the global market.
The Regional Sales Manager of MTN Business, Northern Business Unit, Eric Antwi, said digital tools had become important for SMEs seeking to scale up their day-to-day activities and expand their customer base.
He was speaking during an SME capacity-building clinic organised by the Graphic Communications Group Ltd (GCGL), in collaboration with MTN Business, in Sunyani.
The programme brought together SME owners, entrepreneurs, start-ups, business managers and aspiring entrepreneurs to build their skills and explore opportunities for business growth.
Digital solutions
Mr Antwi said MTN Business had introduced digital solutions to help SMEs establish an online presence, improve customer service and manage their businesses more effectively.
One of them, Yello Biz, enables SMEs to create websites, access a dedicated customer service platform known as Unicom service, and use Microsoft 365.
He said the solution was intended to give SMEs a presence in the global space and help them connect with customers.
“We believe that this gap, when bridged, will ensure that our SMEs will scale up and also be very competitive in the global market,” he said.
Mr Antwi said Adwuma pa, another MTN solution, was tailored for women entrepreneurs to support their day-to-day operations and enable them to serve their customers effectively, adding that one needed to dial *5060# to subscrip.
He said SMEs could also use the MTN Merchant Business SIM to make savings and access loans, stressing the need for business owners to protect their accounts and personal information.
He advised customers not to disclose their PINs or enter security codes sent by unknown persons into their phones.
“Your PIN is your unique identity. You need not to disclose your PIN,” he said.
Further support
Mr Antwi said MTN Business had identified five businesses from the training for further engagement, including financial literacy, continued coaching and support to nurture their growth.
“SMEs need more coaching, more footwork and more hand-holding,” he said.
He said knowledge was critical to enabling entrepreneurs to take advantage of available opportunities.
“The best thing to give to an individual is knowledge. Once we give them the knowledge, they will certainly scale up in their space of business,” he said.
Partnership
The Senior Zonal Business Manager of the GCGL for Ashanti, Bono, Ahafo and Northern, Benjamin Korsinah Tsatsu, said the initiative was aimed at helping SMEs improve their performance and take advantage of opportunities created by digitalisation.
He said many businesses were moving away from traditional brick-and-mortar models and, therefore, needed to attach digitalisation to their products and service delivery.
Mr Tsatsu said the growth of individual SMEs would contribute to national economic growth.
He said the initiative would be sustained as an annual programme and decentralised across the 16 regions to bring SME training closer to businesses outside Accra and Kumasi.
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