The meeting revolved around the influence of social media on small businesses in Nigeria. Mr Adewale Fatade and Temitope Jiboye presented an overview of social media’s significance in maintaining a competitive edge, connecting with customers, and enhancing brand awareness and sales. They also delved into the pros and cons of social media for businesses, highlighting both its growth potential and the hurdles they might encounter.

The gathering also addressed the specific challenges that small businesses in Nigeria face when trying to leverage social media. These challenges encompassed issues such as limited access to reliable data, internet connectivity constraints, language and cultural barriers, regulatory uncertainties, and digital security concerns. To tackle these issues, Temitope proposed a series of solutions, including the implementation of comprehensive digital literacy programs and workshops, forging partnerships between government agencies and private organizations, advocating for infrastructure improvements, promoting cultural sensitivity in social media content, and providing educational resources and workshops on social media algorithms and cybersecurity.

The meeting underscored the pivotal role of content creation in enhancing an institution’s visibility and revenue generation. Temitope suggested incorporating content creation training for students, including international students, and expanding visibility through the Center for Distance Learning. The attendees stressed the need for tangible actions beyond recommendations and explored the importance of integrating research and entrepreneurship training into the university curriculum. The group expressed their dedication to including this training in their teaching methods and sharing research findings for the community’s benefit.

In summary, the meeting shone a spotlight on social media’s potential to drive economic growth and encouraged small businesses to harness this trend. It also emphasized the obstacles faced by small businesses in Nigeria and called for collaborative efforts among various stakeholders to address these challenges. The meeting concluded with a collective commitment to implementing the proposed solutions.