Foundry Supports Nigerian Entrepreneurs, Others for Sustainable Growth
Emma Okonji
Foundry, an initiative of The Nest Innovation and Technology Park, has empowered over 300 entrepreneurs from diverse industries, including agriculture, fashion, food and beverage, hospitality, healthcare, beauty and wellness, manufacturing, and recycling.
They were empowered with the right business and entrepreneurial knowledge to refine their businesses towards profitability and sustainable growth.
The empowerment, which is the sixth edition of the SME bootcamp by the platform, came through two-week intensive online program held at the weekend.
Sponsored by Tappi App, the bootcamp attracted entrepreneurs from Nigeria and four other African countries, including Sierra Leone, Kenya, Liberia, and Ghana.
The feat underscores Foundry’s unwavering dedication to providing the right resources, tools, and support to businesses on the continent, with the ultimate goal of fostering better collaborations among businesses.
The SME Bootcamp featured seasoned industry experts, who handled various business functions, including finance, sales, people management and leadership ethics, business strategy, marketing, branding and communications. The entrepreneurs were also exposed to resources and tools that would enable them to fast-track their business growth and automate their business operations.
Speaking at the event, the Co-Founder of Mwangaza Africa Consultants in Kenya, Alice Michira, while sharing her wealth of experience and expertise with the participants, urged them to be focused and be ready to contribute significantly to the economy.
A participant from Liberia, Jarius Andrew Greaves, said the bootcamp had been very meaningful in many ways.
According to Greaves, “the event exposed me to new skills and strategies that will guide me in managing YONER Liberia. It has also given me a bigger platform to e-meet and e-connect with highly motivated and potential young Africans from nearly all countries of Africa. I would like to thank Foundry for this initiative and I would like to encourage them to host this every month so we can have other young people within our space benefit from it.”
Foundry’s Project Lead, Light Ohwoka, said: “Foundry is an excellent initiative that has continued to set the pace for the growth and development of small businesses in Africa. It has strategy to empower more entrepreneurs and facilitate better collaborations among businesses on the continent to further support small businesses.”
