Keystone Bank Limited has once again demonstrated its commitment to empowering operators of small and medium enterprises, SMEs, businesses in Nigeria. The bank has introduced a live and interactive online business clinic for female owners of small and medium enterprises in the country. The programme, which is being implemented through its Pink Network initiative, is part of the bank’s continuous effort in supporting female entrepreneurs and all SMEs in the country.
The training according to a statement, from the lender, comes in form of Question and Answer (Q&A) sessions on the pinknetwork.ng online platform. The first in the series, anchored by Bukky Soleye, chief executive officer of Bug Zappers Limited, was themed ‘Starting a Business: Basic Structures for Success.’
Soleye, a Pink Network Amazon, is a certified Project Management Professional with over 15 years of experience managing a variety of projects and facilitating project management training for clients. The session took place in the online forum section of the Pink Network platform and was the first edition of bi-monthly sessions to be held in conjunction with the network’s Pink Amazons and Resource Partners.
The online sessions, tailored after business clinics, provides business mentoring and general business advice to assist entrepreneurs and SMEs connect in real-time question and answer interactions with the right expertise and get practical advice to help overcome issues and information gaps in running their businesses.
The Pink Network online business clinic sessions aim to help businesses set priorities and make the right decisions for success.
Philip Ikeazor, managing director, Keystone Bank, noted that the sessions “are currently open, at no cost, to all SMEs, irrespective of their location in Nigeria.” He explained that further benefits apply to the bank’s Pink Account holders. Ikeazor said the Pink Network is about financial inclusion for women and speaks to the need of every woman. In addition to the free online business clinic sessions, other benefits of the Pink Account include a free online storefront onhttps://marketplace.pinknetwork.ng, access to 60 per cent of the CBN MSMEDF set aside for women entrepreneurs, discounts from partner stores/businesses on purchases or services, free SME tool kits from the Enterprise Development Centre for Capacity Building, Zero COT and annual Gift Cards of N50, 000.00 on qualifying annual average balance,” he said.
Ikeazor reiterated Keystone Bank’s commitment to supporting entrepreneurs, particularly females, which is in line with one of the bank’s corporate social responsibility, CSR, pillars, hence, the strategic reason for creating the Pink.