By Elizabeth Chukwuma
When the United For Africa, UBAplc, popular, Pan African Bank ,initiated the Business series programmee as a way to support the growth and sustainability of Micro, Small and Medium-scale Enterprises ,MSMEs, in the African continent,many jumped at it. This is because of the immense benefit to their Organisational growth.
Informed sources that the MSMEs, are always looking out for the event every year. The onlyt ime the Bank may have skipped it was between 2019 and 2020, when the Asian country of China emerged coronavirus or COVID 19, Pandemic, was at its height forcing the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, and The Presidential Task Force on COVID 19, to take some drastic decisions which all Organisations were forced Comply including the Banks, which also affected theUBA and the shifting of its Business series event. This may have informed why the MSMEs, have jumped with happiness when information leaked out that the Bank is set to organise the Business Series this Month of April, 2021.
The UBA Business Series which is a monthly event, is an MSME Workshop as well as a capacity building initiative of the Bank where business leaders and professionals share their well-researched insights on best practices for running successful businesses, especially in the face of the difficult operating environment that had dominated the African business landscape over the years.
Many believe through this Business serries initiative, UBA has been assisting the MSMEs with essential tips to help them re-examine their businesss models and strategies and ensure that they stay afloat and thrive.

Amember of The Committee who spoke to The Value News disclosed that the topic for the next edition of the series is ‘’Managing Performance for Business Growth’’, The event which is holding today, Wednesday, April 14, 2021 via Microsoft Teams is expected to be an eye-opener to the MSMEs to the various MSMEs. At the session, Mrs Kofo Akinkugbe, the Managng Director, Secure ID, is expected to share useful tips and insights on’’ the key strategies of performance management to boost business growth’’
Akinkugbe is the founder of Secure ID Nigeria, a MasterCard, VISA and Verve certified Smartcard Personalization Bureau and Digital Technology company. She currently serves as the Managing Director/CEO, Secure Card Manufacturing, – a Smartcard manufacturing plant producing high security identity cards and documents for the Banking, Telecoms and Public sectors across Africa and beyond.

The capacity building event, which is a virtual session, according to an insider, is open to all – including business owners and leaders. This may have informed why the organisers had etold Interested participants to register via http://bit.ly/UBASMEWorkshopMarch20. Sampson Aneke, Head, UBA SME Banking had said that with Akinkugbe, ‘ vast experience garnered over the years from various sectors, she will help ‘’the business owners understand how performance management strategies can be effectively implemented to ensure business growth’’.
He emphasized that UBA’s commitment and deep passion for small businesses, which according to him, remains the engine and the backbone of the economy in every country will be sustained.
He noted that in many climes, businesses with fewer than 100 employees account for 98.2% of all businesses. This, no doubt captures the importance of the SMEs to a thriving economy which is why UBA is committed to seeing them flourish and will continue to do so.”