Africa-Press – Rwanda. WHEN MTN debuted in Rwanda in 1998, Alice (not real name) started out as a distributor of airtime scratch cards in her neighbourhood selling a few cards a day.
Twenty-three years down the line, she is a regional distributor of MTN Rwanda and has created multiple jobs. MTN Group says that such growth of SMEs they work with is a priority across markets in which they operate.
With Africa’s SME sub-sector billed to be a key driver of growth, innovation and employment creation, MTN Group says that they are keen to roll out initiatives to foster their growth and survival in various value chains.
The multinational says that they are keen to create a digitally inclusive environment that helps SMEs overcome operational challenges and enable them to challenge the status quo of traditional business models.
According to the Group, its initiatives to improve chances of SME include access to finance to better manage cash flows through solutions such as MoMoBusiness, a mobile money platform enabling firms and SMEs to access banking and enterprise development services.
The platform supports SMEs by providing access to banking facilities with reduced transaction fees.
This is expected to curb persistent access to finance challenges often cited as hindrances to SME growth and survival.
SMEs on the continent, he added, will also benefit from opportunities to access new markets through the Fusion partner programme where they will have access to a broad range of capabilities that leverage technology and local knowledge.
This will among other things provide them with the opportunity to resell MTN products, reaching their customers and creating awareness of their brand, products, and services through digital marketing.
The firm said that they also work with SMEs to provide skills development, services and general business advice through online masterclasses.
“We provide skills development to SMEs to pivot from traditional to more digitally savvy business models able to use various digital business solutions and marketing. Insight gained from these classes inform our understanding of their customer service, channel interaction, service delivery, marketing and operational needs,” the firm said.
These will put the SMEs on a path to pursue opportunities emerging in different value chains including with a trickle down impact on job creation especially for young people.
“In Africa, there’s a particular focus on how SMEs can be supported further to propel economic growth and address market needs. This aligns well with our strategy as we understand the impact SMEs have in growing the economy,” the telco noted.
Among local initiatives they have rolled out in Rwanda in support of SMEs include; Connect Women in Business, an initiative that supports women saving groups both financially and through training to further assist them with their respective businesses.
The firm also runs MTN Yolo Hackathon which provides a platform for young developers and entrepreneurs to compete for various financial support packages via their unique innovations as well as ‘Level Up Your Biz’ an initiative that supports Rwandan youth led businesses in their entrepreneurship journey with the Level Up Your Biz programme.
The 10-month programme offers seed capital, valuable training, and mentorship opportunities to eligible young entrepreneurs in various fields.
MTN Rwanda also partnered with HeHe last year to provide financial support and mentorship training to agribusinesses from HeHe’s Made-in-Rwanda incubation program.
These included AvoCare and SanCare which received six million Rwanda Francs to accelerate their e-Commerce businesses. This was particularly imperative during the pandemic to encourage businesses to utilize digital means to deliver their services and products.
Speaking at the Commonwealth Business forum (CBF), Faustin Mbundu the Board Chairperson of MTN Rwanda said that the firm was committed to make the most of tools within their grasp including working together to create policies and frameworks that are clear to reduce the barriers to business across our continent consequently benefitting SMEs.
He noted that telcos play a key role in boosting SME chances Telcos owing to their potential to drive trade and transactions as well as access to finance.
MTN Group was an anchor sponsor of the just-concluded Commonwealth Business forum (CBF) to the value of US$230 000, as a sign of its commitment to advancing initiatives that are geared to strengthen relations between business and government.
For More News And Analysis About Rwanda Follow Africa-Press
