SCCI team up with German consulting group to boost capacity of SMEs |12 April 2023

The ongoing training session on Mahé

The Seychelles Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) in collaboration with GOPA, a German-based consulting group dedicated to the promotion of international cooperation and global development, is conducting a training of trainer’s workshop for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) on Mahé.

The aim of the training, which is taking place at the SCCI headquaters, Providence, is to empower the participants with the business knowledge and skills to, in collaboration with SCCI, go out and train other SMEs in the community so that they can better manage their businesses and therefore provide a better service.

The training, which started in November 2022, is being funded by the European Union which has commissioned GOPA to conduct the training.

Twenty SMEs are participating in the training which will end by end of May this year.

Among the modules given three times a week, the main focus is on business planning, bookkeeping and accounting and marketing.

The training sessions are being facilitated by two GOPA representatives.

Certain sessions also took place in district community centres on Mahé.

The secretary general of SCCI, Iouana Pillay, said that the training is a partnership agreement with GOPA which will continue in the long term as SCCI feels the need to have the transfer of business knowledge within the private sector for their own benefit and the benefit of consumers.

She stated that it was in 2021 that SCCI felt the need to step in and help the small businesses to upgrade their business skills and knowledge, given the impact of Covid-19 on their businesses.

She noted that due to the pandemic, SCCI tried to conduct the training online in 2021 but it was not that effective and as a result was postponed to November last year.

“It’s important that as the chamber of commerce we help the small businesses to grow because they are very important to the economy. Through the time of Covid-19 the small businesses have been struggling, and it has not been easy, and we are there to ensure that the skill gap is filled up,” said Ms Pillay who expressed SCCI’s appreciation to EU and GOPA for the funding and training of the participants.

Facilitator Ruxandra Penescu said they are using a new teaching methodology based on the principles of adult learning to train the trainers.

She noted that the training is purely based on their needs to be successful.

She expressed her satisfaction with the level of interest by the participation who attended all sessions.

Mervin Elizabeth, an omnibus operator, said the training is fruitful and beneficial as apart from learning on how to better go about running his own business, he is also learning how to train other small businessmen and businesswomen to better run their businesses in order to become more successful.

SCCI will also conduct the training for SMEs on Praslin and La Digue in the future.

Patrick Joubert