“The opportunities for business growth is significantly higher when small and medium business (SME’s) have digital capabilities, ” he said, adding there is a higher chance for SMEs to realize growth in their business if they use digital platform.”
Idriss went on to explain that digital payment is a solution to the bottlenecks affecting many businesses, especially challenges in making or receiving payment in business transactions.
Idriss encouraged all entrepreneurs that were at the training to use e-commerce and digital payment because according to him, “It is a safe and secure means of accepting payments and storing finances, thus that will improve the country’s economy.”
Freddy Hanciles, a farmer and owner of Floric Agriculture Enterprises, says “The training has helped me to understand that entrepreneurs will make more money and spend less when using digital payment.”
The farmer thanked Cordaid for organizing such a training, which he claimed has given him an insight on digital payment system and how he can use that to improve his business.
Another participant, Mohamed Sesay, CEO of Fish Net, a dealer in raw and dried fish in Sierra Leone, says the training will help him to make delivery and payment methods easy.
“I believe using digital payment will increase the number of customers and will also enable them to make direct purchase and delivery” .
The clinic is part of Cordaid’s Resilient Business Development Services (RBDS) program, which is being implemented by its Private Sector Department, to provide trainings that will solve problems facing small businesses as well as provide solutions that will enhance their capacity to build better businesses in Sierra Leone.
Cordaid’s programs in Sierra Leone target economic growth and sustainability as well as innovation in data analysis to influence health policies. Cordaid continues to support the government of Sierra Leone in achieving the sustainable development goals and propel the country from a context of fragility to a middle-income economy by 2030. Cordaid also works collaboratively with communities to ensure that they have agency in how the programs are carried out and the impact on youth, entrepreneurs and women.