By ROGERS KALERO
ATLAS Mara will strive to set the stage for vibrant Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (SMEs) through its Copperbelt Business Club whose idea is to promote, networking, create business opportunities and sharpen business skills of small business and medium businesses.
ATLAS Mara Head of Business Banking and Small and Medium Enterprises Robinson Daka said the giant financial institution which has more than 27,000 SMEs, has constantly been working to improve financial inclusion opportunities in the country through the new SMEs Customer Value Proposition.
Mr Daka said during the SMEs Business Club workshop at Garden Court Hotel in Kitwe that Atlas Mara cared for SMEs and would continue to support them in various ways so that they could contribute to job creation, poverty alleviation and food security.
He said the bank would continue to provide practical business advice to SMEs because, a well nurtured small and medium business with practical business advice from a reputable bank like Atlas Mara will grow and effectively contribute to economic recovery and national development.
“Our desire is to see well established SMEs which are set for greater heights. So the idea of the Copperbelt Business Club is to promote networking within the SMEs, create business opportunities for them and also ensure that we sharpen their business skills.”
“So, after our inaugural Copperbelt Business Club Workshop, we thought we should hold another workshop, to see how we are progressing and how we can sharpen your business skills. This meeting is a passionate one. If you sharpen your skills, you can run your businesses effectively and even contribute to Growth Domestic Product,’’ Mr Daka said
In December 2022, during the Copperbelt inaugural Business Club workshop, Mr Daka said Atlas Mara would constantly be working to improve financial inclusion opportunities in the country through the SME Customer Value Proposition, which is based on a comprehensive set of workable solutions, allowing over 16,000 Atlas Mara Bank SMEs customers to transact efficiently and effectively
Mr Daka said Atlas Mara had been around for a long time traditional banking systems, which were now giving way to the development of innovative digital platforms that benefited customers, such as the New SMEs Customer Value Proposition and Zambia’s first-ever SME Application serving our customers
The Participants at the Copperbelt inaugural Business Club Workshop were drawn from Ndola, Mufulira, Chingola, Kasumbalesa, Luanshya, Chililabombwe and Kitwe.
“At the inaugural workshop, the SMEs raised the needs that Financial Institution needed to provide for them, among these needs were the ease of conducting transactions and having up-to-date information on account balances without calling or visiting the bank; the need for advisory services and capacity building to manage their businesses; and an easy and hassle-free lending arrangement with a shorter turnaround Time’’ Mr Daka said.
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