MTN wants to invest $150K in Nigerian SMEs

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To drive youth employment and also enable entrepreneurs in Nigeria, MTN is set to invest in Nigerian-owned businesses through a campaign—MTN Pulse BlowMyHustle, which aims to economically empower Nigerian youths involved in scalable businesses.

A 2019 Geo Poll revealed that side hustles are now prevalent in Africa, with Nigeria leading the pack at 44.4%, followed by Kenya at 40.8%. This report sampled youths from Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and Tanzania, and found some of the major side hustles include agriculture, entertainment, ICT, online business, logistics, and food and beverage sectors, among others.

"The hustle spirit amongst Nigeria's young people is truly inspiring as they are innovative and entrepreneurial.  MTN is here to support that hustle so that their dreams can become reality," Adia Sowho, MTN Nigeria's Chief Marketing Officer said. "Young business owners have told us what they need, and with MTN Pulse Blow My Hustle, we will share business skills from experts in relevant fields and create access to financial grants."

The shortlisted candidates of this initiative will gain access to virtual training on Business Management, Digital Marketing, Financial Literacy, Investment Strategies, Business Legal Requirements, Elevator Pitches amongst others; and tasks will be assigned after each class. The top 20 contestants will be selected based on performance after the two-week training period as finalists who will present their business ideas to a panel of judges, and engage in a brief question and answer session.

Applications for the MTN Pulse Blow My Hustle campaign is open to explore the various data offerings and share your compelling business plan visit the MTN Pulse website.