Skye Bank Holds Seminar For SMEs Operators In Lagos

After the success it recorded in Onitsha,
Anambra State last month, Skye Bank Plc
has held the Lagos edition of its seminar for
business owners in the Small and Medium
Enterprises (SMEs) sector.
The event was attended by over 200
participants held at NECA Hall, Alausa,
Ikeja, Lagos State. It especially focused
on the school and hospitality sectors of
the economy.
Speaking at the event, the Group
Managing Director (GMD) of Skye Bank,
Mr. Timothy Oguntayo, explained how
small and medium enterprises are major
contributors to employment in Nigeria
and other countries worldwide.
Oguntayo listed the importance of small
and medium enterprises to the Nigerian
economy and added, “Skye Bank wants
to facilitate knowledge sharing and offer
banking solutions that will help
businesses. There is no way for
multinationals to employ all the teeming
young people who are seeking
employment, therefore, the role of SME’s
in employment cannot be over
emphasised.”
The seminar was focused on how to help
small and medium enterprises operators
write bankable business plans and
access loans to carry them out.
Keynote speaker at the event and Vice
Chairman of Tantalizers plc, Mr. Folu
Ayeni, shared his success story on the
rapid growth of Tantalizers from a small
living room venture to a large-scale
business with 53 outlets nationwide
Ayeni recalled how Skye Bank provided
the initial N2.5 million seed capital that
was used to start the business.
The Tantalizers boss urged the
participants to come up with bright,
profitable business ideas, and package
the ideas properly, saying: ‘If no one is
listening to your ideas, go to Skye Bank.”
However, statement, Mrs. Funke Fowler-
Amba, the Boss of Vivian Fowler
Memorial Sschoo, urged the participants
to get training on their vision in order to
make it a reality.
She urged them to follow their dreams
and be passionate about what they do,
adding ther.
The SME initiative was part of Skye
Bank’s contribution towards encouraging
small businesses, thus developing the
Small and Medium Enterprise (SME)
sector of the Nigerian economy.