Union Bank Gets SME Financier Of The Year Award

From L-R: Linda Ochugba, Digital Sales Manager, BusinessDay Media; Ayokunnumi Abraham, Head, Small & Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) Products & Segments Union Bank; Frank Aigbogun, Publisher/CEO, BusinessDay Media; Olufunmilola Aluko, Head, Corporate Communication & Marketing, Union Bank; and Chima Nwaubani, Brand Manager, Union Bank at the BusinessDay Top 100 Fastest Growing SMEs Conference recently held in Lagos, Nigeria.

Union Bank of Nigeria has bagged SME Financier of the Year award in Nigeria.

The award was presented to the bank by Business Day at a Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) Conference hosted recently by the media organisation.

The award presented at a ceremony that formed part of the conference, was in recognition of the bank’s efforts to support and promote the growth of the SME sector in Nigeria.

The bank reiterated its support for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in the country to drive increased growth and development during the conference titled ‘Top 100 Fastest Growing SMEs in Nigeria’.

The event themed ‘How SMEs can thrive in an age of volatility’ was well attended by various stakeholders in the SME sector, including entrepreneurs, industry experts, start-ups, and financiers. The event had different panel sessions to discuss the multiple problems facing SMEs in Nigeria.

Speaking on Funding for SMEs panel, Ayokunnumi Abraham, Head, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) Products and Segments Union Bank, said SMEs need to pay attention to capacity building and keeping proper financial records.

According to him: “SMEs must focus on building capacity and developing the necessary skills to increase their expertise if they hope to succeed in this volatile age. SMEs also need to embrace technology and digital tools as an enabler for business growth while ensuring their books and records are organised if they hope to attract funding from the right financial partner.”