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5 SME Training You Can Access After Completing SMEDAN Registration

by Folarin Olalekan

November 12, 2020 1

One of the most common challenges that SMEs in Africa face is raising funds to take the next step. Many business owners believe the only thing standing in the way of their businesses being a force on the global scale is funding. However, funding without adequate SME training is a perfect recipe for disaster.

SMEDAN helps to bridge this gap by providing Nigerian SMEs with the funds and training they need to attain their business goals. Hence, registered business owners can access both funding and adequate SME training that are crucial to the success of any business.

In this post, we will be looking at 5 SME training you can access after completing SMEDAN registration.

Information Communication Technology (ICT) Training

The importance of ICT to the success of SMEs in Africa in the 21^st century cannot be overestimated. This is why SMEDAN (Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria) is invested in helping small and medium business owners improve their ICT skills. The objective of this training is to help Nigerian youths become economically independent through Information Communication Technology.

SMEDAN’s ICT training has to do with equipping SMEs with adequate knowledge about several computerised technologies. Gaining access to this training will help enhance your communication, information transmission, electronic capturing, and processing skills.  You will learn how to take advantage of day-to-day technologies such as laptops, mobile phones, desktops, business software, etc. to enhance the productivity of your business.

As a result of this SME training, your business will gain the competitive edge it needs to grow in this highly competitive economy. It will also help in enhancing the organisational efficiency and operations of your business. This training will expose you to several technology communication skills that will help to enhance your business’ customer relations skill set. 

Business Management Training

It is no secret that the backbone of the economy of any developing or developed country is its SMEs. This is one of the reasons why SMEDAN is giving priority to access to the training and funds SMEs need to become successful.

Amongst the training, your SMEDAN registration gives you access to is business management. As the name implies, business management training involves learning the best ways to manage your business effectively. In one of the business management training, a facilitator emphasised the importance of record keeping. She taught about the importance of record-keeping and why proper planning is the most crucial responsibility of SMEs.

Business management skills will help you engage your employees adequately. Hence, enhancing productivity and the relationship between employees. In this training, you will learn the steps necessary for proper business planning and how you can execute them.

You will also learn the best ways to invest in your business and employees to enhance productivity and business success. Hence, proper business management skill is crucial to the success of SMEs in Africa.

Digital Marketing Training

SMEDAN is helping Nigerian SMEs stay relevant and competitive in this digital economy by providing several training sessions that will enhance their digital skills. In August 2019, SMEDAN partnered with Google to help train small and medium business owners on how they can enhance their digital skills. As a result, one of the training you will have access to after completing your SMEDAN registration is digital marketing training.

In this training, you will learn how to enhance the visibility of your business using the internet. This will help widen your business audience, hence, increasing your chances to close more sales and enhance accessibility.

In today’s market, consumers tend to check the online presence of any business before concluding that it is legitimate. Hence, digital marketing training will help teach you how to place your business online in such a way that customers quickly found it. This way, your business will have a platform to compete with large-scale companies.

Digital marketing also helps SMEs in Africa measure the performance and campaign efficiency of their businesses. This implies that small and medium business owners can gain real-time access to how their sales campaign is going. Hence, helping them re-strategize immediately for better results.

Capacity Building Training

Another training that your SMEDAN registration gives you access to is business capacity training. The role of proper capacity building in the growth of SMEs in Africa cannot be overestimated. This training helps in improving your recruitment, bookkeeping, marketing, and logistics strategies. Hence, arming you with the information you need to help your business succeed on larger scales.

To compete efficiently in today’s market, business owners need to learn effective ways that they can build the capacity of their businesses. This training will give you access to all the tools you need to enhance the sustainability of your business.

One of the things you will learn in this training is how to effectively keep records in such a way that it attracts equity investors. You will learn the best bookkeeping strategies that will help equity investors access the viability of your business.

Vocational And Entrepreneurial Skills Training

SMEDAN seeks to use vocational and entrepreneurial skills training to help youth become economically independent. The training involves teaching youths several vocational and entrepreneurial skills so that they can start and sustain their businesses.

The training gives you access to learning the ropes of different types of vocational skills ranging from shoemaking to fashion designing. Once you have completed your registration with SMEDAN, you will be able to choose which vocational skill you want to learn. There are many pools of vocational skillsets to pick from, so, you will need to research to find the one that may interest you.

In conclusion, SMEs in Africa need adequate training to grow into successful companies. This is why SMEDAN has developed several training programs to help Nigerian SMEs grow. Completing your SMEDAN registration will give you access to several business growth training, including the ones listed above.