Operator seeks empowerment of SMEs with digital skills 

Electronic commerce operator and co-founder, My Shop Launcher (MSL), Akintunde Opawole, has appealed to the government to empower small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with more digital skills that would ensure their products and services move online.

Opawole said many of the SMEs in the country still lack the basic digital skills to put their products online, thus a programme targeted at empowering SMEs with basic digital skills would be ideal.

As such, he said MSL has introduced a no-code e-commerce storefront free of charge, which also reflects a genuine commitment to the welfare and growth of SMEs.


Founded two years ago, Opawale said MSL’s inception was rooted in the recognition of the struggles faced by African merchants managing their businesses manually.

He said the MSL team embarked on a journey that involved extensive conversations with entrepreneurs, surveys, and rigorous testing of theories.

“This painstaking process led to the development of a product that not only offers a no-code e-commerce storefront free of charge but also reflects a genuine commitment to the welfare and growth of SMEs,” he stated.

According to him, beyond providing no-cost storefronts, MSL is dedicated to creating real bonds with business owners, offering support, guidance, and the tools needed for success.

He stressed that this commitment goes beyond the conventional, embodying genuine care and concern for the thriving of SMEs in Africa.

Opadokun in an interview observed that Nigeria would need more e-commerce platforms to drive the digital economy agenda of the government and deepen competition in the e-commerce space.

According to him, experience from the last Black Friday sales by the few e-commerce platforms in the country showed that many Nigerians wanted to buy online but the platforms could not meet the demands.

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