Local firm bags global top prize
Local digital marketing and innovation consulting firm, TofaraOnline has been awarded the prestigious Digital Champions for Small Business Award by three global trade promotion bodies.
TofaraOnline received the award together with the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia, The Lima Chamber of Commerce and TAITRA (Taiwan External Trade Development Council).
The awards were announced on December 02, at an event organised by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Informal Working Group on Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs), the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).
Launched on World MSMEs Day on 25 June 2021, the Digital Champion for Small Business initiative aims to help small businesses become part of the digital economy so that they can trade internationally and become more resilient to crises.
TofaraOnline submitted a project titled “Tech-Driven Entrepreneur”, which seeks to offer digital marketing training and workshops on developing effective digital marketing strategies and campaigns for business development.
The workshops will cover a variety of digital marketing topics in a three-week training period and one physical workshop depending on Covid-19 restrictions.
“We believe MSMEs have a huge potential to create decent work and to contribute immensely to economic growth. However, lack of digital skills and information on how they can grow businesses online has led to closure of businesses and the loss of jobs.
“The Digital Champions for Small Business initiative is an opportunity for MSMEs to learn the digital skills required to survive in this digital economy,” said chief executive officer and founder Ms Tofara Chokera.
“As part of the award we are receiving visibility through the ICC, WTO and ITC networks globally, access to e-commerce resources and various technical awards from Google and Zoom. This award made us the only recipients in Africa.
“Our winning proposal targets to train 2500 MSMEs in digital marketing, lean digital transformation, export marketing strategy, introduction to e-commerce and more. This will be done over a six-month period from January 2022,” she said.
The main objectives of the training programmes are to build capacity in SMEs to allow them to be resilient to Covid 19 shocks, enable them to participate in international trade and generate foreign currency, participate in the digital economy so they can more than just survive through e-commerce as well as leverage on digital marketing and tap into the global market.
Said Ms Chokera: “As we implement this project we are creating an opportunity for organisations and individuals to partner with us and benefit from this project.”-The Herald
