9Mobile backs women Mobile App as it perfects plans for mobile money services

The fourth largest telecommunication operator in Nigeria, 9Mobile has thrown its weight behind Londonbased Cherie Blair Foundation for Women to promote its business skills mobile application, Herventure.

Apart from providing tech and network support, the telco also sees a role for its soon to be launched Payment Service Bank (PSB) platform 9PSB. The CBN recently approved licence for a PSB for the telco and two other entities.

In a statement to Businessday, 9Mobile said 9PSB will bring added value to the partnership with Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, with its innovative online banking facilities for women entrepreneurs.

“9Mobile recognises the importance of leveraging its technology to support very important segments of society like women, to build and grow resilient businesses through this pandemic and beyond,” Alan Sinfield, CEO of 9Mobile said.

The partnership which comes on the heels of the Global Women’s Entrepreneurship Day, aims to help Nigerian women develop the confidence and skills they need to grow their micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMES) at scale.

The partnership will see Herventure leveraging a combination of 9Mobile’s technology and technical expertise with the foundation’s products and programmes, to deliver an expanded offering of integrated mobile business support services for women entrepreneurs in Nigeria.

“Mobile companies have a powerful role in steering women to the support, products and services they need to grow their businesses and support economic recovery,” Helen Mceachern, CEO of Cherie Blair Foundation for Women said.

For her, 9Mobile’s involvement will level the playing field for women entrepreneurs with the essential skills they need to make their business resilient and grow when they very easily go backwards.

Since it began operations in Nigeria two years ago, Herventure has supported more than 20,000 women, with 99 percent saying they find the training delivered on the app very useful. Users found that, on average, their profits increased by 38 percent, and 88 percent of users said they increased their customer base. Also, 89 percent of the users noted that the networks they had developed in the app had been helpful.