HARARE: DHL Express will launch the first entrepreneurial training programme in sub-Saharan Africa in Harare, to help small and medium enterprises in the country and abroad to grow business internationally.
DHL Zimbabwe managing director Jeff Phiri told a press conference in Harare yesterday, that the country was chosen as the launch pad for the programme because of the booming informal market that is a significant contributor to the gross domestic product (GDP).
Over 75% of the population are employed by the informal sector in Zimbabwe. “We are the pilot country because the SME sector is a significant contributor to our GDP. The idea would be, we would get ideas from the participants to try and improve on the programme. Once the programme has a baseline, we will then take it countrywide,” Phiri said.
“DHL Express is a ₤54 billion company and the key for us is that we use our business template to help facilitate growth among the SMEs to empower them. We want to create a platform for them before they go global and to assist in making that happen.”
The programme is aimed at establishing a platform through which SMEs can be able to use DHL experience, knowledge and networks to establish their business internationally to help grow exports.
DHL International Zimbabwe MD Jeff Phiri (c) addresses journalists flanked by Tonderai Chitendeni the company’s key accounts executive and Alice Zengeya the commercial manager
It will explore importing and exporting in new markets, provide guidance on how to find key geographical opportunities for the business specific products and services, as well as how to identify new markets and build long term relationships with their target customers.
The company’s sub-Saharan Africa managing director Hennie Heymans said in a statement the need for the programme stems from struggles faced by SMEs to grow their business internationally.
“Many SMEs develop a plan to grow their business internationally, but battle to turn this plan into a reality. Our growing Beyond Borders programme will provide practical guidance on how to make the most of the opportunities available and assist SMEs to grow and connect across sub-Saharan Africa,” Heymans said.
“DHL has been shipping across the globe since 1969 and the workshop takes entrepreneurs through the entrepreneurial history of DHL and lessons learnt from dealing with a multitude of customers along the way.”
He said stable GDP forecasts for the sub-Saharan-Africa region are expected to be 4,6% in 2016 and 5% in 2017, which will create opportunities for innovative SMEs to service online-savvy customers. From Zimbabwe, the programme will be taken to South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Coted’Ivorie, Ghana and Uganda.
