Google’s Hustle Academy, a free online training programme for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Africa, has celebrated the graduation of its second cohort of 5 300 entrepreneurs from Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa. The programme, which was launched in February 2022, aims to help SMEs overcome the challenges posed by the pandemic and recover their businesses.
According to Google, the Hustle Academy provides SMEs with access to live training sessions, one-on-one mentorship and masterclasses by industry leaders, covering topics such as business strategy, digital marketing, financial planning and pitching for investment. The programme also offers networking opportunities and a chance to win equity-free funding from Google.
The graduates of the Hustle Academy have reported positive outcomes from the programme, with 80% of them expecting either steady or increased revenues in the next 12 months. The programme also claims to have created four jobs for every 10 businesses that participated.
The Hustle Academy is part of Google’s broader commitment to support SMEs in Africa, which are vital for economic growth and job creation on the continent. According to the World Bank, SMEs account for about 90% of all businesses and more than 50% of employment in sub-Saharan Africa. However, SMEs face many barriers to growth, such as access to finance, skills, markets and infrastructure.
Google has also launched other initiatives to empower African SMEs, such as the Google for Africa Developer Scholarship, the Google Digital Skills for Africa programme, the Google.org Impact Challenge for Women and Girls, and the Google My Business app. These initiatives aim to provide SMEs with the skills, tools and resources they need to thrive in the digital economy.
Google’s efforts to support African SMEs are in line with the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which envisions a prosperous and integrated Africa that leverages its human and natural resources for sustainable development. The agenda also recognises the role of SMEs as drivers of innovation, entrepreneurship and industrialisation in Africa.
As the continent recovers from the pandemic and prepares for the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which is expected to create a market of 1.2 billion people and a GDP of $2.5 trillion, the opportunities for SMEs to grow and scale are immense. Google’s Hustle Academy is one of the platforms that can help SMEs seize these opportunities and contribute to Africa’s transformation.
Source: htxt.co.za
