Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have been recognized as a key sector of local economies, particularly in emerging markets, where formal SMEs contribute up to *45% of total employment and up to *33% of GDP.

In a bid to create greater efficiencies, as well as enable the growth of this sector, MTN Business is driving the development of ICT solutions, specifically for SMEs. To this end, MTN Business has unveiled a new cloud delivery platform in Rwanda and Cameroon, which will enable this segment of customers to access cloud services with greater ease.

Dubbed MTN Business Cloud Services platform, the web portal will also be available in Swaziland, Ghana and Uganda by the end of April 2016, and will provide a comprehensive view of the product portfolio available for business customers from MTN, as well as its partners.

“This platform was developed to address some of the pain points experienced by our SME customers, in particular. As MTN Business, we are acutely aware that to enable the growth of this key sector, ease of access to solutions that drive efficiencies and lower costs, such as Cloud, is vital. While the benefits of Cloud services for SMEs are numerous, the process of accessing and purchasing such services can be daunting.

Through the MTN Business Cloud Services platform, the emphasis is on simplifying this process and meeting customers’ needs – essentially we are putting control in our customers’ hands,” says Debbie Minnaar, Acting Executive, MTN Group Enterprise Business Unit.

Through the MTN Business Cloud Services platform, customers can use single login credentials for all services and make use of “Live Help” to resolve any issues immediately and in local languages of the market from which the customer is accessing the platform. In addition, customers will be able to pay for products and services they require in their local currency, using different payment methods, including MTN Mobile Money.

The roll out of the platform, which is set to go live in all MTN markets by the end of 2016, is aligned to the company’s strategy for the SME segment.

“We recognise fully, the value of SMEs in our markets and we are committed to aiding their growth and development. Within the scope of MTN Business, we have a significant opportunity to become an effective strategic partner of SMEs and to contribute to this key sector of the economy by providing relevant and cost effective ICT solutions tailored for this segment, such as the MTN Business Cloud Services platform,” says Omotayo Ojutalayo, General Manager for SMEs, MTN Group Enterprise Business Unit.

MTN continues to evaluate new cloud-based solutions for enablement and growth of SMEs.