Small scale businesses in Nigeria are to benefit from a N75million equity-free fund at the behest of the giant search engine company, Google.
To this end, Google has announced the opening of applications for its Justle Academy SMB Fund.
The firm, in a statement issued, noted it is a recognizable fact that small scale businesses are the mainstay of a country’s economy but they usually have hiccups securing funding to run their businesses.
Head, Brand and Reputation, Sub-Sahara Africa at Google. Mojolaoluwa Aderemi-Makinde said that is why the N75 million is being dedicated to Small and Medium Scale businesses in Nigeria to offer N15million each to about 15 modest business owners in the country.
Aderemi-Makinde said “The Hustle Academy Fund is a testament to the resilience and innovation of Nigerian start-ups in the hope that it would further empower them to succeed in their drive for economic growth and creating job opportunities for some unemployed fellow citizens.
He recalled that the academy which was created in 2022 has since graduated over 4,0000SMEs in the country.
Also speaking, Sinmisola Nojimu-Yusuf, Product Manager for the academy, said the essence of the financial support is to offer SMEs the needed support with resource to thrive in their quest for financial freedom coupled with mentoring of upcoming business aspirants as well as create opportunities for visibility and networking.
He noted that Google remains committed to supporting many other Nigerian entrepreneurial ecosystems as part of their key commitments.
The Google informed that for one to be considered eligible, the business person must have founded and operated the venture for about five years with concise and scalable business plan.
