Partnerships help cure SME migraines - Kanayo Aniegboka

Starting a business in this climes could be an arduous task. Red tapes, bottle necks, cantankerous secretaries and the unscrupulous director asking for a pre-service tip. The wars fought by SMES to stay afloat are more than a few.

Kanayo Aniegboka, the chief of staff at Connectnigeria highlighted them as ‘migraines’ of Nigerian SMES broadly putting them under knowledge, exposure, infrastructure and capital in a tweetchat with The Guardian.

But the pains of the migraines, he noted, could be mitigated if Nigerian SMES learn to build networks and partner with each other in order to enjoy economy of scale.

“Businesses can barter for services and goods, big businesses can help small Businesses and everyone would end up having their needs met.” Building such relationships can begin at the Connectnigeria Business Fair holding between February 3 and 4 at Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos.

Participants at the fair, he said, will have the opportunity to interact with a host of business gurus, myriad of exhibitors and “most importantly, a network of up to 10,000 business minds.”

He explained that among the myriads of challenges Nigerian SMES face, technology stands as an ally, noting that a proper use of tech helps a business expand its reach and open doors of new possibilities.

“We live in a tech world,” he said. “Irrespective of what you do, your ability to engage clients on a given level depends on how well you are able to use technology. As a market, we are going more and more online. If our SMES would survive, they must learn how to engage tech.”