{"id":25026,"date":"2018-07-12T14:53:43","date_gmt":"2018-07-12T13:53:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/?p=25026"},"modified":"2018-07-12T14:53:43","modified_gmt":"2018-07-12T13:53:43","slug":"connect-nigeria-union-bank-unveil-top-100-emerging-sme-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/connect-nigeria-union-bank-unveil-top-100-emerging-sme-list\/","title":{"rendered":"Connect Nigeria, Union Bank Unveil Top 100 Emerging SME list"},"content":{"rendered":"

Connect Nigeria, in collaboration with Union Bank, one of Nigeria\u2019s most trusted financial institutions, has announced the release of the Top 100 Emerging SMEs list.<\/p>\n

The Top 100 Emerging SMEs initiative which was launched in February at the annual Connect Nigeria eBusiness fair for Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs), aims to identify and celebrate some of Nigeria\u2019s upcoming SMEs who have demonstrated laudable resilience by thriving in a challenging business environment.<\/p>\n

At\u00a0 the\u00a0 preliminary\u00a0 stage\u00a0 of\u00a0 the\u00a0 process\u00a0 over\u00a0 13,000\u00a0 entries\u00a0 were\u00a0 received,\u00a0 from\u00a0 which\u00a0 2,460 unique SME nominees that met the stringent requirements emerged. The selection process to choose\u00a0 the\u00a0 final\u00a0 list\u00a0 of\u00a0 100\u00a0 emerging\u00a0 SMEs\u00a0 involved\u00a0 a\u00a0 combination\u00a0 of\u00a0 voters\u2019\u00a0 polls\u00a0 and\u00a0 an assessment of the SMEs by the consulting firm, Sawubona. This was based on criteria including innovation,\u00a0 scalability\u00a0 and\u00a0 business\u00a0 sustainability\u00a0 evidenced\u00a0 by\u00a0 the\u00a0 existence\u00a0 of\u00a0 business company registration, effective book keeping methods as well as branding and online presence. Over 27,500 votes were cast in the race to select the finalists.\u00a0 The British Council and Lagos Chamber for Commerce and Industry (LCCI) were also part of the initiative set up to honour some of Nigeria\u2019s top SMEs.<\/p>\n

Speaking on the list, CEO Connect Nigeria, Emeka Okafor said:\u00a0 \u201cOur passion is helping SMEs succeed. In addition to identifying and celebrating some of Nigeria\u2019s top emerging SMEs, a major objective of this initiative was to demonstrate to the SMEs the need for the adoption of proper business structures and\u00a0 documentation\u00a0 in\u00a0 order\u00a0 to\u00a0 build\u00a0 bankable\u00a0 businesses\u00a0 which\u00a0 allows\u00a0 them access much needed funds for growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also commending the finalists, Union Bank\u2019s Head of Retail Segments, Paul Aseme said:\u00a0 \u201cOn\u00a0 behalf\u00a0 of\u00a0 Union\u00a0 Bank,\u00a0 congratulations\u00a0 to\u00a0 all\u00a0 the\u00a0 Top\u00a0 100\u00a0 emerging\u00a0 SME finalists.\u00a0 As\u00a0 a\u00a0 bank\u00a0 that\u00a0 has\u00a0 been\u00a0 around\u00a0 for\u00a0 over\u00a0 a\u00a0 century,\u00a0 Union\u00a0 Bank\u2019s commitment to supporting Nigerian SMEs stems from our deep understanding of the challenges these businesses face. This is why our SME segment at Union Bank provides banking solutions tailored to meet their unique needs and provide these entrepreneurs with the guidance and support they need to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Union Bank\u2019s sponsorship of the Top 100 Emerging SME initiative reiterates its continued support for \u00a0Nigerian \u00a0businesses. \u00a0Through \u00a0capacity building \u00a0workshops \u00a0for \u00a0its \u00a0SME \u00a0customers \u00a0across Nigeria, the Bank has helped provide much needed business advisory and support services to these growing businesses.<\/p>\n

Last year, in partnership with Co-creation Hub (CcHub), Union Bank launched a first-of-its kind business \u00a0acceleration \u00a0program \u00a0\u2018Start \u00a0up \u00a0Connect\u2019 \u00a0which \u00a0provides \u00a0an \u00a0opportunity \u00a0for \u00a0Nigerian companies creating technology-based solutions for the next generation African market, to partner with CcHub and Union Bank for rapid growth.<\/p>

\r\n
Advertisement<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\r\n \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n

Union Bank\u2019s commitment to SMEs has earned it the \u201cBest Bank to Support Nigeria\u2019s Small and Medium Scale Enterprises\u201d award at the 2016 Business Day Annual Banking Awards.<\/p>\n

Union Bank\u2019s sponsorship of the Top 100 Emerging SME initiative reiterates its continued support for Nigerian businesses.\u00a0 Through capacity building workshops for its SME customers across Nigeria, the Bank has helped provide much needed business advisory and support services to these growing businesses.<\/p>\n

Last year, in partnership with Co-creation Hub (CcHub), Union Bank launched a first-of-its kind business\u00a0 acceleration\u00a0 program\u00a0 \u2018Start\u00a0 up\u00a0 Connect\u2019\u00a0 which\u00a0 provides\u00a0 an\u00a0 opportunity\u00a0 for\u00a0 Nigerian companies creating technology-based solutions for the next generation African market, to partner with CcHub and Union Bank for rapid growth.<\/p>\n

Union Bank\u2019s commitment to SMEs has earned it the \u201cBest Bank to Support Nigeria\u2019s Small and Medium Scale Enterprises\u201d award at the 2016 Business Day Annual Banking Awards.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0 top\u00a0 100\u00a0 Emerging\u00a0 SMEs\u00a0 list\u00a0 is\u00a0 available\u00a0 on\u00a0 the\u00a0 Connect\u00a0 Nigeria\u00a0 website\u00a0 – http:\/\/www.connectnigeria.com\/top100\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Photo Caption:\u00a0Emeka Emuwa<\/a>\u00a0Chief Executive Officer (CEO)\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Connect Nigeria, in collaboration with Union Bank, one of Nigeria\u2019s most trusted financial institutions, has announced the release of the Top 100 Emerging SMEs list. The Top 100 Emerging SMEs initiative which was launched in February at the annual Connect Nigeria eBusiness fair for Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs), aims to identify and celebrate some …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":8109,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,624],"tags":[4276,1395],"coauthors":[2391],"class_list":["post-25026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-business","category-politics","tag-connect-nigeria","tag-union-bank"],"yoast_head":"\nConnect Nigeria, Union Bank Unveil Top 100 Emerging SME list - National Wire<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Connect Nigeria, in collaboration with Union Bank, one of Nigeria\u2019s most trusted financial institutions, has announced the release of the Top 100 Emerging SMEs list.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nationalwire.com.ng\/sub\/connect-nigeria-union-bank-unveil-top-100-emerging-sme-list\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Connect Nigeria, Union Bank Unveil Top 100 Emerging SME list - 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