MTN Nigeria on Thursday unveiled its Partner Programme aimed at driving enterprise growth in Nigeria.
The Chief Enterprise Business Officer MTN, Mrs Lynda Saint-Nwafor, while unveiling the programme, said that it would add exponential value to its enterprise business customers.
Theme of the programme was: ”MTN Fusion.”
“In a bid to add exponential value to its enterprise business customers, as well as the broader business landscape in Nigeria, MTN Nigeria launched a Partner Programme initiative at an inaugural Partner Summit.
“The Partner Summit will be held annually and will see MTN Nigeria bringing together key stakeholders.
“It includes MTN Business partners, thought-leaders, Small and Medium Enterprise owners, Large Enterprises and the Public Sector to unveil MTN’s long-awaited Partner Programme.
“The programme will materially change the way MTN serves the Nigerian enterprise market, enabling local and global partners to become part of the MTN Business solutions offering.
“MTN knows that they cannot be the subject matter expert in every field in Information and Communications Technology and thus, we believe strongly in partnering with other like-minded companies.
“We are building a vibrant ecosystem of partners that share our ethos and values to empower Small and Medium Enterprises, drive efficiencies for Large Enterprises and work with the Public Sector to improve citizen engagement,” she said.
Saint-Nwafor said that partnership had been the bane of MTN service delivery, but increasing complexities and evolving customer needs were reinforcing the need for a more structured approach to partnerships.
She said that MTN had been engaging partners on case-by-case basis, adding that the partners bring in the needed technology and platforms to co-create new solutions or share their unique expertise and competencies.
She said that the needed technology would help MTN to develop solutions that drive growth and increase market reach.
Saint-Nwafor said that the summit also provided MTN with an opportunity to bring their trusted and new partners together to share “our partner operating model and structure’’.
She said the aim was to make it easier for partners to work with MTN to create the future together, listing MTN Nigeria’s ecosystem of partners to include: Technology, Capability and Channel Partners.
“The Technology Partners are responsible for providing ICT and other complementary technology solutions and services.
“Capability Partners offer complementary value chain competencies, while Channel Partners expand channels or access to market.
“MTN Partner Programme initiative will thus be geared toward harnessing the power of partnership in delivering the benefits of a modern connected future to the end user.
The Chief Executive Officer of MTN, Mr Ferdinand Moolman, said to go far in business needed the partners that would reflect on the ideas and initiatives to build the ecosystem.
Moolman, represented by Mr Mazem Move, Chief Operation Officer, said that the company’s journey has its hard moment, adding that with partners coming in place things became smoother.
“Today, we are now sitting on a solid ground to think of ways to move forward, to develop the country and grow the business community.
“MTN’s slogan has been everywhere you go, but today with the right partners, it will be everything is possible,” he said.
Also, Mr Chika Ekeji of Mckencey and Co, said that the Nigeria Enterprise business was two billion dollars market, which he said needed to be tapped.
Ekeji said the market opportunity was quite vast and there was no way of going round it alone, adding that it has to be with the partners.
He said that to capture value of the market optimally, partnerships had two key approaches, which was capabilities and access.