GOOGLE said yesterday it had kicked off a series of programmes this month to support the growth and recovery of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in Africa’s post-Covid-19 economy and plans to launch a Small Businesses portal.
The Google for Small Business portal had been developed as a one-stop shop for small businesses to get started on the web and grow their digital presence, to help them choose the appropriate tools for online success and the achievement of their business goals, the US-based tech giant said.
Mojolaoluwa Aderemi-Makinde, Google’s head of brand and reputation for Africa, said: “This portal is all about supporting businesses as they get online. In a competitive business environment, digital technology helps to drive economic growth and job creation, while delivering valuable services to people in Africa.”
Google will also share a series of SME skills webinars aimed at helping small businesses use digital tools to connect with and grow their customer base. Free webinars were available on 9, 16 and 23 June at google/smbwebinars
Google said the move comes less than a year after it had committed to helping more than 500 000 businesses, job-seekers and vulnerable people with support packages, including free business tools, training and grants.