How Visa’s Practical Business Skills Initiative Empowers Businesses

Emma Okonji

Visa’s partnership with Trace Academia, a mobile-based learning application that aims to enable 26 million youths across Africa, is the latest development in their Practical Business Skills’ (PBS) initiative, which offers potential partners integration and co-branded opportunities to contribute to business transformation and empowerment.

The partnership offers a free online learning platform that is equipped with extensive educational courses. The application which is available on Android and iOS is accessible and inclusive, boasting multilingual learning across a myriad of industries. 

The newly formed partnership is an extension of Visa’s purpose to enable entrepreneurs with the resources they need to thrive and will fuse entertainment and education to deliver an engaging learning experience. Visa’s Practical Business Skills has been reimagined into an interactive course on the Trace Academia platform covering different skills including business planning, marketing, and securing funding. 

Speaking on the initiative, Senior Vice President and Head of Visa in sub-Saharan Africa, Aida Diarra, said: “Our partnership with Trace Academia allows us to extend our impact in levelling the playing fields of commerce for youth who are one of the key drivers of entrepreneurship on the continent” said Aida Diarra, Senior Vice President & Head of Visa in Sub-Saharan Africa.” 

Practical Business Skills initiative plays a key role in supporting the job and economic development efforts of Visa’s clients and partners, such as Trace Academia. With small micro businesses accounting for more than 90 per cent of global businesses and as the source of 50 per cent to 60 per cent of global employment, PBS offers digital educational resources and tools to help small and micro businesses thrive through complex challenges. 

“Utilising Visa’s extensive expertise in financial education, we provide knowledge on what it takes to start a business, financing and cashflows, business management, marketing and ultimately, how to drive businesses into a profitable enterprise. We believe every stage of a business is important, from the development stage to maturity, and therefore, equip entrepreneurs with resources that help them confidently make informed business decision, throughout the business lifecycle,” Diarra further said.