Leadway Assurance Company Limited has up skilled the capacity of Micro Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (MSMES) in Kwara State on financial inclusion, security and risk management.

The initiative, which is in partnership with the Ajike Foundation leveraged the know- how and legacy of Leadway Assurance’s market leadership and its 50 years’ experience in the sector to build the capacity of artisans, farmers, market women and other small business groups on deploying financial dexterity for their enterprise.

The exercise was commanded by Olufolake Abdulrazaq, the first lady of Kwara State.

The first part of the partnership, a one-day comprehensive SME workshop was followed by an engagement tour with the Leadway Assurance mobile office team.

Abdulrazaq who spoke virtually at the event, said, “As the world is struggling to fight off the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses are witnessing unprecedented slowdowns and shutdowns, and this no doubt is affecting the stability of small and medium scale enterprises.

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According to her, the partnership with Leadway Assurance is an outstanding and unequivocal demonstration of the government’s commitment to acquiring world-class knowledge for the MSMES by learning from proven market leaders in financial security, risk management and business sustenance.

Also commenting, Adetola Adegbayi, executive director, General Business, Leadway Assurance said; “we have always taken financial inclusion for small business owners as a priority at Leadway Assurance. We are convinced that financial education is critical to building business successes through smarter enterprise decision, wealth creation, risk identification, management, and protection. No matter how small your business is, there is a need to register with an insurance company.”

“Considering the risks involves operating a business, every business owner should make insurance a critical part of their financial planning. Our partnership with the Kwara State’s First Lady under the Ajike Foundation is a testament to our keen resolve to sustaining a pan-nigerian entrepreneurial growth and development.”

Damilola Arogunjo, a participant at the workshop said that the training had thought her how to optimise her business operations and maximise profits for additional savings. “

And even from the profits, I can save for the future and save my business future in times of risk associated with natural disasters and accidents,” she said.

Modestus Anaesoronye is a leading Nigerian financial journalist with over two decades of experience reporting on the insurance and pension sectors across Nigeria and West Africa. He has held key editorial positions at major national media outlets, including The Comet, The Nation, and Financial Standard, and currently serves as a Senior Financial Analyst at BusinessDay Media Ltd. A widely travelled reporter, he has covered industry developments in more than 14 countries across Africa and Asia. Anaesoronye is a multiple award-winning journalist, honoured several times as Insurance Journalist of the Year and Pension Journalist of the Year by recognised industry bodies, including PensionScope and the Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria (PenOp), among others.

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