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Following the successful two day Business Training for over eighty Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Northern Uganda, the much anticipated training was taken to the Western region where over 150 participants converged at Lake View Hotel in Mbarara, to benefit from the programme that aims at empowering the SME segment with the knowledge and skills required to run successful businesses. The training programme attracted participants from Bushenyi, Kabale, Masaka, Mbarara and Fort Portal districts.
For the last two years, the program which is run in partnership KPMG Uganda delivers the technical expertise covered the following topics: Internal Controls, Working Capital Management, Business Planning, Interpretation of Bank Statements and Basic Knowledge of Taxation.
According to MTN officials in Western Uganda, the 150 participants were vetted from the over 280 entries received. The vetting exercise took into consideration the applicants’ ability to adhere to the tenets of business principles and whether they qualify to be categorised under SMEs.
Over the years there has been a phenomenal growth particularly in the SME market and this has formed the backbone of Uganda’s economic growth. It is with this in mind that MTN has chosen to consistently support this section of the economy.
The training is well suited for the participants, covering a number of topics ranging from creating and preserving wealth, book keeping and personnel management through business planning and strategy development.
Representing MTN Uganda, the Senior Manager Enterprise, Hazel Twesigye said starting this year, the training which initially handled 100 SMEs a year, has now been regionalized, with each region to be represented by 150 businesses.
This year, the first MTN Business regional training for SMEs was successfully held in the North at Bomah Hotel in Gulu on the 20th of November 2013, attracting over eighty participants from the districts of Gulu, Apac, Lira, Kitgum, Masindi and surrounding areas. All the participants were presented with certificates on completion of the two day Business Management training. Other regional events will be rolled out in 2014 to ensure that the regional focus is maintained.
Talking about the selection criteria of the participants, Twesigye said participants were asked to apply for the training, and thereafter vetted done by the consulting team as to whether they are indeed an SME and stand to gain from the training.
She said MTN has launched a number of products and services aimed at making the lives of the business community as well as SMEs a whole lot better. She pointed out MTN Cloud services as one such package that is increasingly becoming popular with business community as a one-stop shop for all their business related data/software solutions.
At the end of the training, participants were hosted by MTN to an evening cocktail, officiated by the Mayor of Mbarara Town, Mr. Wilson Tumwine. During the closing ceremony the participants were awarded with certificates.
Delivering his remarks, Tumwine said, “Training for Business people such as the one MTN Uganda has initiated is definitely a welcomed initiative as it provides business people with the right expertise to not only start up new business ventures but to also grow and sustain their current business to ensure optimum output and profitability. This is particularly important with the recent consolidation of the East African Confederation and the move towards the globalisation of business dealings”.
He urged the participants to apply the knowledge they have acquired from the MTN training programme for their personal development and also as a tool to curve an edge in the face of competition.
The dinner was also attended by representatives from MTN Business, the MTN dealer representatives for the Western region, NGOs and Corporates from Mbarara. The evening was crowned off with a draw in which some participants won WiFi routers courtesy of MTN Uganda to further enhance their businesses.
MTN Uganda has enabled job creation with direct and indirect support for more than 500,000 Ugandans and largely contributed to the overall growth of the economy as the top tax payer. MTN’s long-term commitment to Uganda is strong, driven and aligned with Uganda and the aspirations of its people – seeking to build and develop the capacity of Ugandans, strengthen the nation’s economy and enable ICT across all regions of the country. MTN’s long-term commitment to Uganda is strong, driven and aligned with Uganda and the aspirations of its people – seeking to build and develop the capacity of Ugandans, strengthen the nation’s economy and enable ICT across all regions of the country. On an annual basis MTN Uganda invests over Ushs.1.5 billion in the training and development of its employees.
About MTN Uganda
Launched in 1998, MTN Uganda is the leading communications operator in Uganda, offering Mobile and Fixed telecommunications, Mobile Money Services and Internet Service Provisioning. As of 30 September 2013, MTN Uganda recorded 8.4 million subscribers across Uganda. Visit us at www.mtn.co.ug and for our football fans www.mtnfootball.com. Customers can also follow us on www.youtube.com/mtnug and www.twitter.com/mtnugandacare for assistance.
About the MTN Group
Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a leading emerging market operator, connecting subscribers in 22 countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange in South Africa under the share code: “MTN.” As of 30 September 2013, MTN recorded 203.8 million subscribers across its operations in Afghanistan, Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Republic, Iran, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Africa, Sudan, South Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia. Visit. Visit us at, www.mtnbusiness.com , www.mtn.com www.mtnmmo.com and for our football fans www.mtnfootball.com
