Mazen Mroue: The Man Making A Difference In Empowering Nigeria’s SMES
The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic took its toll on many small businesses. Economic activities were brought to an abrupt halt, people have had to change their lifestyles drastically, and entrepreneurs have been the worst for it. As the world adjusts, many business owners, especially in a country as economically volatile as Nigeria, will need all the help they can get in trying to rebuild. It’s not always easy to find willing benefactors in such a time as this, but for Nigerian SMEs, one initiative is stepping up to save the day, and there is one man leading the charge in this rescue mission.
Mazen Mroue, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of MTN Nigeria, is leading his team at one of Nigeria’s leading telecommunication companies to provide succour for small businesses that are trying to stay afloat in the face of harsh economic realities. He has always cared about economic empowerment as much as he cares about science and education, but now he is taking it one step further with a game-changing programme aimed at supporting Nigerian entrepreneurs as they navigate a new normal.
Mazen Mroue was previously the COO at MTN Irancell, where he worked from 2014 to 2018. He has also held the position of CEO at MTN Uganda and MTN Uganda, in addition to playing the role of Non-Executive Director at MTN Cyprus. In all, he has accumulated more than 20 years of professional experience in telecommunications and fintech.
Mroue holds a master’s degree in Engineering, Computer, Intellectual Systems & Networks from the National Aviation University. He also holds certifications in a number of relevant disciplines: the Finance for Executives Programme obtained from INSEAD, and the Programme for Leadership Development obtained from Harvard Business School.
As COO at MTN Nigeria, Mroue has provided leadership and direction for the company’s commercial and technical functions. However, few initiatives have demonstrated his eagerness to see MTN Nigeria smoothen the path for businesses in Nigeria like the Revv Programme.
Launched in August 2020, the Revv Programme was set up by MTN Nigeria to address the critical needs of SMEs during and after the Coronavirus pandemic, and also build capacity in business management. It was initiated to support entrepreneurs in the process of relearning, rethinking, and retooling their businesses for growth.
The programme consists of nine masterclasses in key business areas, ranging from financing, sales and marketing, customer and stakeholder management, digital journeys, and people management. These masterclasses are facilitated by top-level executives at MTN Nigeria, in collaboration with seasoned industry experts. Beyond the masterclasses, the Revv Programme will also include technology, productivity, marketing and advisory support, which will be offered to select SMEs to help them in their journey towards digital economic growth.
What makes this programme unique is the deliberateness in which its structure is set up. It uses a four-pronged approach that includes masterclasses, access to market, productivity tool support and advisory initiatives. The masterclasses are focused on imparting relevant knowledge and applicable skills to business owners. MTN’s online real estate is utilised to create and drive awareness for the benefit of SMEs. Practical tools, business resources and solutions are compiled to help SMEs manage their business remotely. The programme also provides daily insights, access to free digital training, advice from experts and a suite of offers to help SMEs work more efficiently in today’s rapidly evolving business climate.
The Revv Programme aims to empower and support over 10,000 SMEs, providing them with digital literacy and business education. Business owners and other participants will learn about financing methods, as well as brand management and expansion. They will also have the opportunity to collaborate with partners from MTN’s Enterprise Business division, and gain publicity for their business via MTN’s social media platforms.
Since the inception of the programme, a total of 200 SMEs have been selected to make up the “Y’ello 200”. These SMEs, which were identified as the high-performing SMEs from the masterclass sessions, will enjoy exclusive access to a wide range of productivity tools, technology and free services geared at boosting their businesses.
The first season of the Revv Programme, which held from August to December 2020, involved masterclasses that featured contributions from over 40 industry experts, with a total of over 6000 participants raising more than 1500 questions. It was, among other things, an opportunity for SMEs to learn directly from business leaders who possessed the knowledge, skills and experience required to run successful and sustainable businesses.
The Revv Programme is one of the several youth empowerment initiatives that have been kick-started by MTN Nigeria in the past few months. There is the recently-concluded Y’ello Star – which provides a platform to nurture, expose and launch the careers of talented Nigerian musicians – as well as the ICT and business skill acquisition sessions facilitated by the MTN foundation. These programmes reaffirm MTN’s commitment to supporting business and providing ICT solutions in Nigeria.
In an interview with Inside Telecom, Mazen Mroue revealed that MTN Nigeria was drawing up a long-term plan to ensure that its customers enjoyed the best digital experience, with a major focus on fintech.
“We will continue to invest in our infrastructure to deepen access to technology and accelerate financial inclusion for underrepresented groups”, he said. “The industry will continue to be a key driver in the transformation of lives, both in the business and technical space, and with no doubt, the telecommunications industry will continue to be a catalyst for economic development”.
At the Y’ello Clinic, an engagement session between MTN executives and business owners which took place in December 2020, Mroue emphasised the relevance of the Revv Programme, saying, “We believe in SMEs and the role they play in our communities. It’s therefore a privilege to support them while driving the federal government’s national development agenda”.
With Mazen Mroue at the helm of affairs, MTN Nigeria continues to provide value for Nigerians, extending its impact beyond telecommunication services, and positively influencing Nigeria’s economic landscape by supporting small and medium-scale businesses. Like a tactically astute coach leading a football team to glory, Mroue is leading the company in a direction that ensures widespread brand presence. MTN Nigeria is doing a whole lot for young Nigerians, from business to entertainment to information technology. The reach, the influence and the impact are impossible to ignore.
