One of Nigeria’s major banks, Diamond Bank, has provided ICT training for women involved in the nation’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector.
At the two-day training programme held at the Enterprise Development Centre of the Pan Atlantic University, beneficiaries of the training were taken through topical issues such as: Why do businesses need IT? Creating a Facebook Business page, Social Media for business, among others.
The bank’s Head of Retail Banking, Mr. Jude Anele, said: “Diamond Bank is interested in helping women within the MSME sector develop their businesses as research shows that businesses managed by women are relatively more stable and enduring. This training is part of our overall corporate goal of identifying with the vision of women entrepreneurs by equipping them with relevant skills to enhance their businesses.”
The Head of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Proposition, Diamond Bank, Mr. Chima Nnadozie, said the programme was a fallout of the Second SME Life Banking Forum organised by the Bank of Industry in conjunction with other partners, and was not restricted to only customers of Diamond Bank.
He said: “Capacity building is an area Diamond Bank is very strong at. We were at the Second SME Life Banking Forum last year, organized by the BOI in conjunction with Western Union and USAID, where MSMEs pitched their business case and plans to potential financiers and investors. We threw an open invitation to women who were interested in using technology, social media platforms and online survey to improve their businesses and that is why we are here today.”
He added: “At Diamond Bank, we realize that MSMEs can take full advantage of proper capacity building to increase their chances of success. Technology is one of the five areas we cover. Others are: planning, cash budgeting, human resources and marketing.”
