MSMS businesses are not left out in NIMN partnership with LBS – Enang
By Abimbola Mohammed
As part of inclusivity and sustainability structure put in place by the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN), the institute has said the Micro Small and Medium Scale (MSMS) businesses in Nigeria are not left out in its partnership deals with the Lagos Business School (LBS).
According to the Institute, joining as members will further help MSMS businesses grow, learn the basics of marketing while building their brands.
This call was made during a recent press conference organized by NIMN at its secretariat in GRA, Ikeja Lagos, while announcing its partnership with LBS.
Speaking at the conference, the President of NIMN, Idorenyen Enang, noted that a lot of MSMS in Nigeria do not know how to bridge gaps between just running a business and being a professional marketer. He noted that NIMN is providing clusters for them to join as professionals as a means to grow and sustain their businesses.
His words: “As we speak everyone seems to focus on MSMS business, but how many MSMS know that they need to build their trenches? What we are providing at NIMN is a platform (being a member of the institute), and by doing so, they can benefit from the wealth of knowledge of professionals at the institute coupled with the fact that the institute is expanding its scope of membership with inclusive touch.
“What that means is that there are a lot of people in hospitality, entertainment, public and private sectors etc that are not seeing themselves as marketers. Marketing cuts across all spectrums, so they need to start seeing themselves as marketers in business, because marketing is business and business is marketing.”
He explained that there is no one that goes into business that doesn’t want to make profit and can only do so by training and building capability.
“The starting point for them is to identify with the institute of marketing, come through the process or they could also identify with LBS, go through the channel of education to get themselves embedded in knowledge because it’s the knowledge that they have that gives them insight and opportunity to influence their works,” he said.
The NIMN boss added: “When people from the public and private sector join the institute, the benefits we are talking about are going to be there. We’re going to have symposia this year and also next year. A symposium will give an opportunity to be able to cross-coordinate ideas. As an institute we have a structure that accommodates MSME. We are creating clusters and as an MSME you can join as a member and from there you can benefit from the entire learning and development that is tailored towards helping you grow your businesses.”
Corroborating the president’s submission, Professor Uzo Uchenna, Faculty Director, LBS noted that the MSMEs community contribute a lot to the nation’s GDP, adding that they will benefit from the symposia.
His words: “I know how huge the MSMEs’ community is in Nigeria and how lots of GDP contribution can come from that space. The plan is to further democratize the knowledge about marketing to get to those levels, but it’s something that is going to be gradual. These symposiums, boot camps will be a way to welcome the MSMEs into our network.
“Lagos Business School, through the Bank of Industry of Nigeria already has been doing a lot of work with the MSMEs lately across the federation. Not just being at the level of having business ideas but giving everything they need to bring the ideas to life and even supporting them to secure funding. We think with this partnership with NIMN we will be able to expand that access so it is not just about teaching marketing and what they need to know, but also opportunity enablement that will assist them in their growth.”
RECOMMENDED ARTICLES
Comment
No comments found.