In his welcome address, Mr. Benedict Bentil, Senior Manager, Enterprise Marketing and Portfolio Management at MTN Ghana, emphasized the company's commitment to supporting Ghanaian enterprises to grow, scale, and thrive. "Today marks the beginning of something deeply aligned with our purpose at MTN, which is supporting Ghanaian enterprises to grow, scale, and thrive," he said. The program aims to equip decision-makers in the SME sector with practical tools, strategic insights, and the confidence to lead and navigate their businesses through complex landscapes, he noted. With Nova Business School as the academic delivery partner, the program would run for 13 weeks, covering four critical pillars: strategic growth, financial advisory services, business development, and operational excellence.

According to Mr. William Nettey, Acting Business Banking Director and Head of Agribusiness Desk at Absa Bank Ghana, the bank had been training SMEs previously, but realized that they had the potential to do more and grow. "We want these SMEs to become global, to export and then bring in foreign currency to show us that the country follows suit," he said. By partnering with MTN Ghana and Nova Business School Africa, Absa Bank Ghana aims to equip SMEs with the knowledge and skills they need to scale up and become major players in the economy.

Professor Matthew Tsamenyi, President of Nova Business School Africa, said that the program was designed to be experiential and tailored to the specific needs of each business, with a focus on providing ongoing support beyond the training program. "Our key objective is how do we take them from SMEs to medium-sized and to large organizations, how do we even take them out of Ghana to be able to build these Pan-African and global businesses?" he said. The program aims to provide SMEs with the knowledge, networks, and structures they need to succeed, including access to markets, finance, and supply chains.

Notably, the program also includes opportunities for participants to collaborate with Alibaba Group in China, further expanding their global reach and potential for growth. Nova Business School Africa would also provide ongoing support to the SMEs, including access to its business and advisory unit, which will work with the SMEs to help them achieve their goals, according to Professor Tsamenyi.

The program will run for 13 weeks, with 50 entrepreneurs and business leaders to drive transformation and growth in Ghana's economy. It is designed to support the growth and development of SMEs, providing them with the knowledge, networks, and structures they need to succeed.

Mr. Benedict Bentil, Senior Manager, Enterprise Marketing and Portfolio Management