The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MainOne, Ms Funke Opeke on Tuesday, urged Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to give quality service so as to survive the numerous challenges facing businesses in Nigeria.
MainOne is a leading provider of innovative telecom services and network solutions for businesses in West Africa.
Its world-class infrastructure supports business growth and stimulates the digitisation of the region.
Opeke said that the SMEs operating in Nigeria need to pay greater attention to business intelligence in their quest to survive and deliver impactful products and services.
According to her, SMEs, individuals or teams trying to build their start-ups into multinational companies need to first find their niche and develop a comprehensive business plan.
“They should also be able to prove that they can deliver great services and add value to the lives of their customers,” the CEO said in a statement in Lagos on Tuesday.
She advised SMEs to surround themselves with good mentors and have a board of directors that can provide guidance if the company is big enough.
‘’Drawing from the experience of MainOne, which started operations over 10 years ago, quality service delivery is one of the elements that remain missing in Nigeria,’’ she said.
According to her, a research report published by a professional services firm, PWC, suggests that at present, SMEs contribute 48 per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product.
“Account for 96 per cent of businesses and 84 per cent of employment.
“Inspite of the significant contribution of SMEs to the Nigerian economy, challenges still persist and hinders growth and development of the sector,” she said.
The CEO said that MainOne had developed a set of services that would enable businesses rely on it especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Our business supports SMEs through technology; we have a product called SME-in-a-Box and Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) packages, which we rolled out last year.
‘’These products enable small businesses enjoy the same quality of services that larger corporates have to support their operations,” she said.
