Heritage Bank Partners Pan Atlantic University on Annual SME Conference

Heritage Bank has continued to promote economic development and entrepreneurship by partnering with the Enterprise Development Centre of the Pan African University for the 7^th edition of its highly acclaimed SME Conference which will take place on Wednesday 25^th September at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Ikeja Lagos. The annual SME Conference is the flagship offering of the SDC that brings together not less than 500 SMEs and SME Development stakeholders to discuss issues, developments and opportunities for the promotion and deepening of SME Culture in the country. The theme of this year’s edition is “Model, Markets and Money – Positioning Your Organisation”.

EDC noted that the exclusive partnership between them and Heritage Bank was informed by the bank’s impressive efforts “as a key player in the provision of renewable financial services in Nigeria”.

It further added that Heritage Bank’s recent launch of a first-of-its-kind SME Clinic by a financial service provider in the country is a demonstration of the bank’s commitment to providing excellent support structure for SMEs in the country on an on-going basis.

Bayo Ogunnusi, Head of SME at Heritage Bank, explained that the Bank is wholly committed to working with all stakeholders to ensure a robust SME Culture in the country. “Cottage Industries form the livewire of all thriving economies all over the world. In Nigeria, this all-important sector has suffered neglect in the past. We at Heritage Bank have put together, through our recently launched MSME Clinic, a wrap around package that includes not just financial support but also critical services like business clinics, mentoring as well as platforms for networking, sharing and exposure to best practices and peer review. The EDC SME Conference is a very strong platform and we are happy to be involved with the project as a way of giving support to entrepreneurs”.

It would be recalled that at the launch of the Heritage Bank Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Clinic in Lagos earlier this year, CEO Ifie Sekibo pledged the bank’s readiness to develop a world class research-based model that would provide holistic approach to SME development across various strata of the nation’s economy.