Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone Ghana, Patricia Obo-Nai, has called on Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana to take advantage of the various interventions put in place by Vodafone Ghana to cushion them against the negative impacts of COVID-19.

According to her, Vodafone Ghana has tailor-made packages that are very well placed to enable SMEs to be in tune with current technological trends to survive the negative impact of COVID-19 in Ghana.

“At Vodafone Ghana, we acknowledge the role SMEs play in the growth and sustainability of the nation’s economy. To mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the growth of SMEs, we have put in place many interventions including a tailored web presence solution, ‘Your Business Online’, Vodafone Red Trader, free transfers from Vodafone Cash to all other networks, affordable data bundle packages among others to keep many SMEs going as they strive to ay relevant during this pandemic,” she noted.

CEO Of Vodafone disclosed this at the maiden edition of the Vodafone Business Runway webinar series aimed at empowering SMEs with insights and opportunities that will enable them to manage and build thriving businesses especially during this time.

The event which was organized under the theme “After the Coronavirus Alleviation Programme (CAP), What Next? The Way Forward for Ghanaian SMEs” brought together leaders in Ghana’s SME sector to share insights into strategies that can be adopted to stay afloat as an SME.

Patricia Obo-Nai further stated that her outfit is not focused on profits amid the pandemic but rather introduced tailor-made solutions to help businesses rebound.

“We are proud to say that as a brand, we have tailor-made packages that are well placed to support SMEs. Your Business Online is an industry first where Vodafone Ghana creates the avenue to allow SMEs to have a website designed, built and maintained for them for free for a 6-month period. In addition, the website is integrated into many digital payment platforms”.

‘…On the other hand, Vodafone Red Trader provides a secure and flexible mobile app that allows wholesalers/retailers to be in control of their business with the ability to keep track of all sales and stock inventory on a smart device or computer”, she added.

On the recovery of SMEs from the negative effects of the pandemic, Mrs Kosi Yankey- Ayeh, Executive Director for National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) underscored the essence of a good recovery plan and a safe workplace environment.

She was of the view that SMEs can leverage on the downtime of businesses due to the pandemic to position themselves to take advantage of business opportunities that may present themselves during and post COVID times.

The NBSSI boss further lauded the private sector for partnering with the government to undertake many initiatives geared towards the gradual recovery of Ghanaian SMEs from the negative impact of the pandemic.

The Vodafone Business Runway Webinar was organized by Vodafone Business, the enterprise unit of Vodafone Ghana in collaboration with the Ministry of Business Development, National Entrepreneur & Innovation Plan, Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), and Ghana Export Promotion Authority.