Invest In Africa (IIA), an organization dedicated to helping local small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in Sub-Saharan Africa expand and generate jobs, has teamed with Vodafone Ghana to help local businesses improve their digital skills.
The collaboration will give local SMEs with custom-tailored digital solutions to help them adjust to the COVID-19 pandemic’s disruptions, continue communicating with customers online, and develop their operations.
Red Trader – a simple web and mobile application designed for traders to manage their inventory, track and receive payments; and Your-Business-Online – a proposition designed for SMEs to increase their market reach via tailored digital marketing offerings such as website design, e-commerce integration, and more – are two of the customised ICT solutions that IIA and Vodafone will provide to SMEs in Ghana.
These and other specialized solutions will boost local innovation, financial inclusion, and business and economic growth.
IIA was founded in 2012 and currently operates in five African nations (Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, Zambia, and Mauritania), assisting SMEs through training and improved access to finance, as well as job creation and local economies.
The program will be launched in Ghana on April 1st for a two-year trial term and will be open to all interested local SMEs, regardless of size or sector.
“This alliance signifies the coming together of two prominent organizations both committed to Africa’s long-term sustainable growth,” Carol Annang, IIA’s Ghana Country Director, said of the development. Our mission at IIA is to act as catalysts for SME growth and competitiveness, and one of the ways we do that is by bringing together large corporations that want to use their local purchasing power for good with local African businesses in order to attract investment, create jobs, build capacity, and diversify the economies in which we operate.”
“As Africa faces its first recession in over 25 years and the pandemic accelerates job disruption, it is more critical than ever to help SMEs, which account for an estimated 80% of economic activity and serve as the principal employer in Sub-Saharan Africa,” said IIA CEO William Pollen.
Businesses can adapt, develop new skills, and succeed in the new digital economy as a result of the digital acceleration brought on by Covid-19. This is the main goal of our Ghanaian relationship with Vodafone, and we expect to be able to expand it to benefit SMEs across Sub-Saharan Africa in the near future.”
Tawa Bolarin, Director of Vodafone Business, also spoke about the IIA-Vodafone partnership, saying, “The partnership between Vodafone Business and IIA is a big win for local businesses because both institutions share a common commitment to transforming businesses through innovative digital solutions.” We have a deep desire to see local businesses succeed, and now, more than ever, it is critical for home-grown businesses, particularly SMEs, to be able to operate seamlessly and efficiently using cutting-edge digital solutions to propel market reach, profitability, and business growth in a business landscape impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is an exciting time for us and the Ghanaian entrepreneurship community.”
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