Speaking at the Africa Technology summit in Ghana, Femi Akinde, CEO of Slimtrader, on a panel discussed ‘Marketplaces in Africa’ alongside other company CEOs. He highlighted the importance for employers to train people in order to achieve set business goals.
He further discussed how the major challenge for running a business in this sector is talent acquisition. He stated that the Nigerian market doesn’t have people who are equipped with the right skills for roles in this sector, bringing to fore that as a major player in the Hospitality industry, lack of talent has hindered the growth of the sector.
However, Slimtrader has been able to overcome this challenge by grooming talents for the industry with a training program in partnership with West Africa Vocational Education (WAVE) to get Nigerian youths equipped with the right skills for jobs in the hospitality industry. Especially, with the sectors potential to contribute up to 5.8% to Nigeria’s GDP within the next decade. Ecommerce solutions such as SlimTrader’s MoBiashara for Hotels marketplace platform will therefore help the sector grow, giving hotels greater visibility.
In recent times, Slimtrader has taken further steps to ensure their MoBiashara service is offered to hotels around Africa. With the recent funding of $1m through Interswitch’s e-payment growth fund Slimtrader plans to expand to other African countries. To further boost their expertise, Founder and Group-Managing Director of Interswitch, Mitchell Elegbe has joined the Board of Directors of Slimtrader LTD.
About SlimTrader
Founded in Seattle with major operations in Nigeria, SlimTrader is the leading turn-key ecommerce solution provider for businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa. Through our MoBiashara (which literally means “more business”) platform, we provide everything businesses need to setup and sell their products and services directly to consumers worldwide, or via distribution channels. From airlines to FMCG companies and now hotels, we enhance our partners’ capabilities and presence while expanding their market reach with an easy-to-use platform.
