Konga, Nigeria’s leading composite e-commerce giant, has partnered with the Edo State government to create jobs for millions of youths in the state, while also empowering entrepreneurs, business owners, and other beneficiaries in the state by bringing their products and services to the consciousness of a global audience.
The partnership unveiled at a citizens’ engagement session held in the state capital has been hailed by the Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki as a landmark development.
In his speech at the event, Gov. Obaseki disclosed that Konga was chosen for its cutting-edge technology and remarkable leadership in e-commerce, even as he reiterated the importance of the partnership to the job creation strategies of the state government.
‘‘We are delighted to partner with Konga on this very significant development in Edo State. We have continued to create opportunities for Edo youths as our administration is open, transparent, and competent in all we do. Therefore, we urge Edo people to trust us, as all the opportunities that we present are real, and life-transforming for Edo people.
‘‘We needed information to transform the state. As such, we embarked on the collation of data through our youths with the Data for MEGA project. In Oredo Local Government Area (LGA), we have 11,152 small and medium businesses. In Owan West LGA, we have 501 small and medium businesses; the same data were collated across the state. ‘‘These businesses and others will be exposed to a global audience and more patronage through Konga,’’ he stated.
The event, held at the Government House, in Benin City, also witnessed the unveiling of a N2bn fund for Micro Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) in partnership with the Bank of Industry (BOI) to support entrepreneurs in the state.
The agreement with the state government will see Konga onboard Edo State on its online marketplace, with products and services from the state listed exclusively on the store. In addition, the e-commerce platform will offer mentorship and capacity-building programmes to aid the development of business owners and other merchants from the state on the platform.
The ambitious plan, according to the management of Konga, is to bring online over 10,000 businesses starting from remote villages, towns, and local government areas to the capital, Benin City within the first year of the partnership. These merchants include makers of indigenous products from Edo State including furniture, hair manufacturers, artifacts, handcrafts, production machines, fashion wears, and spare parts, among others.
Speaking at the event, Co-CEO, Konga Group, Nick Imudia also noted that the partnership with the state government will translate to tons of job creation opportunities for qualified Edo natives.‘‘Edo state has shown its readiness for digital transformation and has an environment highly conducive for the people of the state to thrive.
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