It was an exciting atmosphere as Nigeria’s innovative and SME-friendly telecommunications company, 9mobile, further affirmed its commitment to the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria by berthing the third edition of its entrepreneurship initiative, ‘The Hack’ in the Garden city of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The event, which was held at L. A King Dome Rumuomasi was attended by hundreds of budding entrepreneurs eager to learn innovative business ideas.

Welcoming the attendees, Olalekan Fatusa, the Director of Enterprise Business, 9mobile, expressed joy at the impressive turnout of the entrepreneurs for ‘The Hack’ Port Harcourt edition, especially the women.

“I am glad to be here as this is the third ‘Hack’ we are having in 2022. More importantly, I am happy to see many female business owners in attendance.

“We recorded a gender mix in the other cities where we have held this same program, but Port Harcourt stands out with a larger number of young female business owners. It is impressive and encouraging to see our women show the willingness to grow their businesses,” he said.

He assured participants that 9mobile through ‘The Hack’ will help them optimize their business, saying, “What we are doing today is to show you how to grow your niche and improve your businesses, as well as provide you with all the tools to scale.

“We firmly believe that, through entrepreneurship, we are on the road to overcoming unemployment in Nigeria.”

Business Growth Expert Tricia Olufemi-Olumide (TriciaBiz), who was the key facilitator at the forum, spoke on business growth strategies such as product development, sales channel optimization, complimentary products and services, collaboration and partnerships, continuous online presence, and deployment of strategic public relations tools for SMEs to upscale their businesses.

She emphasized the need for SMEs to leverage the diverse opportunities of online platforms beyond selling. “I encourage you to get on these platforms not to sell primarily but to gain massive visibility because people now look for adverts online to make business decisions,” she urged.

Oluwasegun Dawodu, Manager, Corporate and SMEs Markets, 9mobile, also interacted with the attendees and said, “The Hack is a smart shortcut to get something done because there are different ways of creating solutions, and one of these ways is what 9mobile offers. ‘The Hack’ is when you know how to upscale your business using technological solutions and tools. At 9mobile, we have the focus and the mindset of SMEs,” Dawodu said.

The Hack by 9mobile is a free enterprise initiative and networking event where seasoned SME mentors and business leaders share business fundamentals and insights to help SMEs and growing businesses scale up. It is one of 9mobile’s sustainability pillars entrenched in its brand DNA to grow the SME market, mitigate unemployment challenges and consolidate Nigeria’s economy.