The Business Hub (TBH), Nigeria’s premier business solution provider and Sterling Bank’s
platform for startups and growing businesses in the Small and Medium Scale Enterprises
(SMEs) ecosystem, marked a significant milestone as it graduated the inaugural cohort of its
TBH Startrite Academy at a graduation and mini-exhibition event held in Lagos earlier this week.
The programme, a collaboration between TBH and the German International Cooperation (GIZ),
was delivered with a standardized curriculum which covered a wide range of topics aimed at
providing new and existing entrepreneurs with the formal knowledge they need to launch and
structure their businesses. It offeredan intensive learning experience, blending virtual sessions
with hands-on workshops held at The Business Hub Opebi in Ikeja, Lagos.
Ms. Bolanle Tyson, Head of SME Products at Sterling Bank described the TBH Startrite
Academy as an entrepreneurship program meticulously designed to equip participants with the
essential knowledge, skills, and resources to bring their business ideas to life within 30 days.
Tyson emphasized that the training empowered the graduating entrepreneurs to kickstart their
businesses effectively and foster sustainable growth. She also expressed eagerness to replicate
this success for more aspiring business owners, underscoring TBH’s dedication to SMEs.
Highlighting the vital role SMEs play in Nigeria’s economy—contributing about 96 percent of
employment and 48 percent to the GDP—Tyson also acknowledged the challenges they face,
including infrastructure deficits, limited access to finance, and the commingling of financial
transactions with personal accounts, hindering financial institutions’ ability to assess their needs
accurately.
The Keynote Speaker, Temitope Ekundayo, who is the co-CEO of Printivo, in his address on
“Brand Development: Storytelling for Brands, emphasized the need for startups to tell a
coherent story about their purpose, vision and solutions.
One of the participants, Mrs. Janet Ajibade, sharing her feedback on the program, commended
the effort of TBH to empower emerging entrepreneurs. She shared how the learnings from the
program, especially the training on pitching helped her secure a N5million grant for her small-
scale spice production business.
Beyond training, The Business Hub offers comprehensive support to SMEs, including business
registration , post-incorporation services, and access to business banking accounts with zero
account maintenance fees for the first three years, among other enticing propositions.
