Lagos April 29, 2011: In its commitment to the growth of small and medium scale businesses in the country, Etisalat Nigeria recently sponsored a business empowerment workshop in Lagos in partnership with The Fate Foundation, a not-for-profit organization. The business empowerment workshop for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and young professionals aimed at promoting business and entrepreneurial development was sponsored under the auspices of Etisalat’s Eliteworld SME Prepaid product.

The workshop titled ‘Personal and Business Networking to grow your sphere of impact: Relevance and Value’ addressed challenges facing individuals in networking properly with emphasis on the importance of networking as an essential skill for businesses which must be mastered and handled with finesse if a business is to expand. Guest Speaker Yomi Badejo-Okusanya explained the ABC’s of networking and enunciated various avenues for effective networking including alumni associations, family and friends, membership of social clubs, acquaintances, connections and referrals. According to him, “Networking is built by relationships. There should be a conscious effort at developing and maintaining contacts with a view to exploiting the relationships for a purposeful end.”

Etisalat’s high value package Elite World was also showcased to participants comprising young professionals and business owners. Elite World is designed to help young professionals and Small and Medium Enterprises network effectively by extending their reach and minimizing voice costs. Customers can purchase a minimum of 3 lines and maximum of 50 lines on its Closed User Group (CUG) offer and get free 500 minutes of talk time to other lines within the customers CUG when they activate their lines with N1, 000.

In his comment on the programme, Etisalat’s Chief Commercial Officer, Wael Ammar Etisalat said, “Etisalat is proud to partner with a reputable organization like Fate Foundation to boost capacity in the management of small and medium size businesses. This strategic partnership is a demonstration of our support in providing the needed knowledge and tools for business growth at this level. Our Elite World SME Prepaid package offers effective networking that keeps our customers ahead of competition.”

This first in a series of four workshops is being sponsored by Eliteworld SME prepaid, a product of Etisalat in its quest to build long and short term engagement opportunities within its defined target audience. The concluding workshops in the series are expected to hold in June in Port-Harcourt, Lagos again in July and in Abuja in October.