MTN (Zambia) Limited and Kudu Consulting Join Forces to Support Women Entrepreneurs under Zambia We-Fi Program
Lusaka, April 2023 – MTN and Kudu Consulting announced today that they have entered into a collaboration agreement to support SME-focused activities for women entrepreneurs in Zambia. Kudu Consulting is a development and management consulting firm providing advisory, consulting and research services in food and agriculture, business, financial services, corporate advisory services, livelihoods, environment and natural resources sectors. Kudu Consulting is an implementing partner of Zambia Women Entrepreneurs and Finance Initiative (We-Fi) program which is funded by the World Bank Group. Zambia We-Fi Program targets to reach 1,000 Women led SMEs by June 2023 with current enrollment and alumni in excess of 685. The Program is countrywide.
Through MTN Business, MTN offers a range of SME-focused products and services such as the SME SIM cards with exclusive access to SME offers, SME Starter Pack and other products which provide SMEs with a suite of business solutions and digital tools to improve their operations and increase efficiency. Through its collaboration with We-Fi, MTN Business Zambia aims to bring these solutions to the We-Fi program.
“We are excited to partner with Zambia We-Fi to drive the growth of women-led businesses in Zambia,” said MTN Business General Manger, Mildred Chica. “As a leading provider of ICT solutions in Zambia, we have seen first-hand the impact that technology can have on businesses, particularly SMEs. By partnering with Zambia, We-Fi Program, we can help bridge the gap in access to finance and technology for women entrepreneurs, enabling them to achieve their full potential.”
We-Fi is a global partnership dedicated to advancing women’s economic empowerment in developing countries. We-Fi provides funding, capacity building, and other forms of support to help women entrepreneurs access the finance, market, and skills needed to grow their businesses. The partnership with MTN Business Zambia will enable We-Fi to reach more women entrepreneurs in Zambia and provide them with the support they need to succeed.
“The partnership with MTN Business is a critical step towards unlocking the potential of women entrepreneurs in Zambia,” said Zambia We-Fi Program Coordinator, Maxime Harlaar. “We are pleased to partner with a leading ICT provider that shares our commitment to empowering women entrepreneurs. With MTN Business’s expertise in digital solutions and our support in financing and capacity building, we can help women entrepreneurs access the resources they need to succeed.”
Through this partnership, MTN Business Zambia and Zambia We-Fi aim to make a significant contribution to the growth of women-led businesses in Zambia, promoting economic growth and social development in the country.
About Kudu Consulting Kudu Consulting is a development and management consulting firm providing advisory, consulting and research services in SME dev., business, financial services, food and agriculture, corporate advisory services, livelihoods, environment and natural resources sectors. The formation of Kudu Consulting 8 years ago was motivated by the need to provide relevant sustainable solutions to challenges and problems facing social and economic sectors that we support. We achieve this goal by providing solutions that enable individuals and organizations attain goals, solve problems, improve performance and efficiency through provision of evidence based technical and advisory services. The intellectual diversity of our team enables us to bring together experts from many fields during our search for innovations and technical solutions to trials and challenges that affect businesses, economic sectors, livelihoods and the environment. About MTN Zambia MTN Zambia is part of the MTN Group a multi-national telecommunications company with a footprint in 22 countries in Africa and the Middle East. It started its operations in Zambia in 2005 after acquiring the then Telecel. It initially started as an exclusive GSM network providing voice and Short Message System (SMS) services. The portfolio has grown to include voice (local and international), data, fixed and wireless internet, money transfer, and other value-added services. The company is Zambia’s market leader with the largest market share providing communications solutions across all 10 provinces of Zambia. MTN Zambia’s footprint is covered by 4G, 3G, Edge, and 2G networks. MTN Zambia is the country’s fastest growing and most innovative network and is highly acclaimed for its quality network and dynamic tariff billing system. The company puts its customers at the forefront and uses its position on the market to uplift people’s lives and communities through a robust Corporate Social Investment programme in Education, Health (United Against Malaria), and preservation of the country’s cultural heritage through sponsorship of traditional ceremonies
