Invest In Africa (IIA), an enterprise focused on growing local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Sub-Saharan Africa to deliver positive economic impacts and create jobs, has partnered with Vodafone Ghana to support local businesses by enhancing their digital capabilities. The partnership will provide local SMEs with tailor-made digital solutions to enable them to adapt to the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, continue interacting with customers online and grow their businesses.

Some of the customised ICT solutions to be provided by IIA and Vodafone to SMEs in Ghana include: Red Trader – a simple web and mobile application designed for traders to manage their inventory, track and receive payments; and Your-Business-Online – a proposition designed for SMEs to increase their market reach via tailored digital marketing offerings such as website design, e-commerce integration and social media marketing, among others. These and other specialised solutions will fuel local innovation, support digital financial inclusion and stimulate business and economic growth.

Established in 2012, IIA operates locally in five countries across the continent (Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, Zambia, and Mauritania), supporting SMEs through providing training and enhancing access to finance, as well as supporting job creation and local economies. The initiative was rolled out in Ghana from 5th July for an initial period of two years and will be available to interested local SMEs regardless of size or sector.

Carol Annang, IIA’s Ghana Country Director commented on the news, “This partnership represents the coming together of two leading organisations both committed to Africa’s long term sustainable growth. Our purpose at IIA is to act as catalysts for SME growth and competitiveness, and a key part of this is uniting large corporations who want to use their local buying power as a force for good with local African businesses, with a view to attracting investment, creating jobs, building capacity and diversifying the economies in which we operate.”

IIA’s CEO, William Pollen also asserted, “As Africa faces its first recession in more than 25 years and the pandemic accelerating job disruption, it is more important than ever to support SMEs, which account for an estimated 80% of economic activity and act as the primary employer in sub-Saharan Africa. The digital acceleration we are seeing due to Covid-19 is an opportunity for businesses to adapt, learn new skills and thrive in the new digital economy. This is the key objective of our partnership with Vodafone in Ghana, and we hope to be able to extend this initiative to support SMEs across sub-Saharan Africa in the near future.”

Also remarking on the IIA-Vodafone partnership, Tawa Bolarin, Director of Vodafone Business said, “The partnership between Vodafone Business and IIA is a big win for local businesses because both institutions share a joint commitment to transforming businesses via innovative digital solutions. We have a deep-seated passion to see local businesses succeed and now more than ever; in a business landscape impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative for home-grown businesses, and particularly SMEs to be able to operate seamlessly and efficiently using cutting-edge digital solutions to propel market reach, profitability and business growth. These are indeed exciting times for us and the entrepreneurial community in Ghana.”