9mobile Takes Entrepreneurship Mentoring Initiative to Port Harcourt

Emma Okonji

9mobile has further affirmed its commitment to the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria by berthing the third edition of its entrepreneurship initiative, ‘The Hack’ in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, which was attended by hundreds of budding entrepreneurs eager to learn innovative business ideas.

Welcoming the attendees, the Director of Enterprise Business, 9mobile, Olalekan Fatusa, expressed joy at the impressive turnout of the entrepreneurs for ‘The Hack’ Port Harcourt edition, especially the women.

“I am glad to be here as this is the third ‘Hack’ we are having in 2022. More importantly, I am happy to see many female business owners in attendance. We recorded a gender mix in the other cities where we have held this same program, but Port Harcourt stands out with a larger number of young female business owners. It is impressive and encouraging to see our women show the willingness to grow their businesses,” he said.

Business Growth Expert, Tricia Olufemi-Olumide (TriciaBiz), who was the key facilitator at the forum, spoke on business growth strategies such as product development, sales channel optimization, complimentary products and services, collaboration and partnerships, continuous online presence, and deployment of strategic public relations tools for SMEs to upscale their businesses. She emphasised the need for SMEs to leverage the diverse opportunities of online platforms beyond selling.

Manager, Corporate and SMEs Markets, 9mobile, Oluwasegun Dawodu, who interacted with the attendees, said: “The Hack is a smart shortcut to get something done because there are different ways of creating solutions, and one of these ways is what 9mobile offers. ‘The Hack’ is when you know how to upscale your business using technological solutions and tools. At 9mobile, we have the focus and the mindset of SMEs.”

DAAYTA 2023 Final Pitch Holds April 2023

ARM in partnership with TechnoVision (TVC) has announced that the 2023 edition of the Deji Alli ARM Young Talent Award (DAAYTA) finalists pitch event will be held virtually on April 14th, 2023.  

The notice officially opens up the call for applications for DAAYTA 2023 as ARM seeks the brightest and most innovative start-up business ideas in Nigeria to participate in this edition.  

The Deji Alli ARM Young Talent Award (DAAYTA) programme is a youth awards initiative founded in 2015 by ARM in honour of its founding CEO, Deji Alli. The goal of the award is to provide support to young entrepreneurs who have smart and innovative ideas that make a significant positive impact on the lives of the people and communities around them. The initiative is in line with the firm’s commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) with the aim of building a generation of change leaders, working together to build a better future.

DAAYTA 2023 focuses on identifying start-ups with a minimum viable product (MVP) and at least one customer.