Google Hustle Academy has graduated five thousand three hundred (5,300) in the 2023 class across Africa including the release of the programme’s first Impact report.
Fifteen (15) small business owners also received N5 million each as funding to expand their businesses.
Last year, the Academy graduated 5,000 SMBs.
In a bid to help businesses grow, Google launched the Hustle Academy in 2022 to empower businesses and boost them to the next level.
The completely free Google Hustle Academy include experts who deliver live training sessions virtually; hence, all you need is relevant technology to support your participation in the programme, stable internet connection and a laptop with web camera and microphone.
Benefits of Google Hustle Academy
- Live workshops: The majority of the training is delivered live and online. These virtual sessions, led by expert trainers, are designed to be practical, interactive and hands-on
- Peer networking sessions: Participants are provided with opportunities to come together with their peers, network, share insights, and explore examples of best practice
- Guest speaker events: In partnership with organisations and market leaders, participants are able to learn from those in-the-know at a number of guest speaker events
- 1:1 mentoring: Opportunities for 1:1 mentoring and support enable participants to tackle any gaps in their knowledge, and tailor the learning to meet their needs
Speaking at the graduation ceremony at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, Mr. Olumide Balogun, country director for Google West, said Google Hustle Academy has graduates from all Nigeria’s geo-political regions.
He reiterated that the Academy was launched in 2022 and to date have graduated more than ten thousand (10,000) businesses across Africa, including more than four thousand four hundred (4,400) in Nigeria.
Commenting on the impact of the programme, Balogun said:
“My largest take-away, when reviewing the report and listening to the testimonials from our graduates, is that Africa’s SMBs, armed with the right tools and knowledge, can do anything they set their minds to”.
He further stressed that Google aims through the programme is to ameliorate the challenges faced by SMBs by equipping with relevant skills to survive the current has economic situation.
“And in this challenging business environment, that is more important than ever. Rising inflation and the cost of living crisis has significantly impacted the sustainability of small businesses across Africa.
“The International Financial Corporation (IFC) estimates that there are at least 44 million formal MSMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa, half of which require more finance than they can access to grow their businesses. The finance gap is estimated at more than $400 billion”.
“Digital Skilling and tools have a significant role to play here. Not only do SMBs that are digitally enabled report access more than their analogue counterparts. This is also true for Hustle Academy graduates, where 80% report positive revenue growth over the past year. We also see that our graduates report an increase in accessing funding post-graduation”, the Country Director, Google West Africa said.
To further boost access to funding for SMBs, the tech giant announced N75million Hustle Academy Fund for 15 SMBs, including mentorship and access to business tools.
The recipients represent various industries and demonstrate the creativity of Nigerian entrepreneurs “and we look forward to announcing and celebrating them today”, Balogun added.
He stressed that SMBs are critical to Africa’s economic growth and job creation. “I am encouraged to see the impact of that digital skills programmes like Hustle Academy have in supporting these businesses”, Balogun added.
Google Hustle Academy is backed by thee Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN); the Office of the Vice President; National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA); Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), and others.
In a goodwill message, Tola Adekunle-Johnson, senior special assistant to the Vice President on Job Creation and SMEs, promised more support for the SMBs in the country.
He announced that the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will soon inaugurate the SMEs Council as means to coordinate public-private sector collaborations to achieve more results.
Licensed Business Development Service Providers (BDSPs) for SMEDAN
Charles Odii, director general, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), congratulated the graduates for gridding the challenges in the ecosystem.
The excited DG announced the on-boarding of the Google Hustle Academy into SMEDAN licensed Business Development Service Providers (BDSPs) Scheme.
The BDSPs are Nigerians from the entrepreneurial ecosystem across the country that have met the requirements to practice their profession in a particular jurisdiction.
I will like to be among those that google will train