MBABANE – FNB Eswatini will host a series of regional Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Growth Forums from this month, taking business support and financial skills training closer to entrepreneurs across the country.
The forums, which will run between July and August, are part of the bank’s partnership with the Small Enterprises Development Company (SEDCO) under the Entrepreneur of the Year Awards (EYA). They will be held after each of the four regional EYA award ceremonies and are expected to bring together about 50 FNB SME clients in each region.
Participants will receive information on the country’s economic outlook, emerging business opportunities and the bank’s SME products. The programme will also include Business Toolkit Masterclasses covering practical topics such as cash flow management, financial record keeping and business planning.
FNB SME Lead Nombuso Mndzebele said the forums would give the bank an opportunity to engage directly with business owners and better understand the challenges they face.
“We are committed to becoming the go-to bank for SMEs in Eswatini. One of the key actions we are prioritising is active customer engagement. We believe it is important to create meaningful platforms where we can engage directly with our clients, listen to their experiences, understand their challenges and share the solutions we are bringing to the market,” she said.
Mndzebele said the sessions would also include panel discussions with specialists from the bank’s Merchant Services and Digital Payments, Foreign Exchange and Cross-Border Trade, Insurance Solutions for SMEs and WesBank.
She said the discussions would give entrepreneurs practical information on financial services and products that could assist them in growing their businesses.
“Through these engagements, we will be better positioned to shape and deliver our help in a way that responds directly to the needs of SMEs, ensuring that our solutions remain relevant, practical and impactful. This is in line with our renewed commitment for our new financial year, ‘Help is for everyone.’ With the FNB SME Growth Forum, help is for every SME in Eswatini,” she said.
The first SME Growth Forum will be held at Siteki Hotel in the Lubombo Region on Monday, July 20. The remaining forums will be held in Hhohho on July 23, Manzini on July 27 and Shiselweni on August 3.
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