FCMB offers free training to small businesses customers

First City Monument Bank (FCMB) has organised a programme in a series of free training interventions in its impact-planning project for small and medium business owners.This is in pursuit of the lender’s resolve to support and nurture small and medium enterprises to achieve growth and stability in business.


As an integral aspect of the bank’s agenda towards the nation’s economic development, the lender re-assured its customers that it would sustain the tempo of support to existing and upcoming small businesses through increased lending, capacity building, free advisory, value-added products, as well as providing them services capable of increasing overall performance.

At the event, tagged: “Business Empowerment and Sustainability Training for SME Customers”, the bank focused on budgeting, cost and budget management, as the facilitators took participants through the intricacies of raising capital and getting businesses ready for loans.Addressing the participating SME customers of the bank, Divisional Head, Corporate Services, FCMB, Felicia Obozuwa, said the bank recognised the role of entrepreneurs in the society and their capacity in driving growth and sustaining the economy.

“This is is one of the ways we support the growth of our SME customers. We are conscious of the fact that many small businesses could have the dedication to succeed, but lack adequate training and experience to make the business thrive.

“This gap is capable of hindering operation and thereby limiting the achievement of targeted results. Business acumen and day-to-day operational skills are very essential for business owners particularly when venturing into new or sustaining already existing businesses.“Our training programmes are specially packaged for the SMEs to establish solid foundations for growth, learn new skills, better serve their customers, and stay relevant to their niche,” she stated.

The Head of Training Academy of FCMB, Sola Oyegbade, told participants that the Academy was well positioned to offer excellent learning solutions with high-impact and positive results on businesses, not just for the bank’s workforce, but others who desire its services, having been certified and granted full accreditation status by the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN).

‘’We have distinguished ourselves as a viable learning organization and we are committed to a culture of continuous training and professionalism in a sustainable manner’,” Oygbade said.The Regional Head, Lagos, FCMB, Oliver Opara, explained that the bank is aware that SMEs play critical roles in the growth of the nation’s economy and act as agents of growth.‘’We understand that a number of factors combine to determine the success or failure of SMEs. We will continue to support our customers operating in the SMEs segment to overcome the challenges they usually face. We want to be part of their success story’,” he said.