QNET establishes first African direct selling training centre in Accra, Ghana

QNET, an e-commerce based direct selling company, has established its first-ever training centre in the Sub-Saharan Africa region in collaboration with Botsumtwi Limited.

Located in East Legon, Accra, this new training centre will see the company bringing world-class training workshops and educational programmes for its community of distributors to participate in to enhance their management skills, increase business literacy, and leverage on opportunities to build their successful enterprise.

QNET has successfully built a community of thriving micro-entrepreneurs worldwide to become a force of good, especially in emerging economies. The first of its kind in the region, the new training centre in Accra will bring in international speakers, professional trainers, and acclaimed experts to conduct workshops in Ghana. QNET will also regularly host sessions on professional marketing practices, regulatory compliance, and integrity in business conduct in collaboration with local partners. Participants can expect interactive, informative, and practical learning sessions that will enrich their knowledge of entrepreneurship and direct selling.

Equipping people with the needed skills is key to supporting fair, inclusive, and sustainable societal growth. Having trained over 30,000 people through community education initiatives across sub-Saharan Africa in the last few years, QNET aims to build a local ecosystem that supports continuous learning for entrepreneurship communities well into the next decade. This training centre marks QNET’s new milestone in sub-Saharan Africa, providing an opportunity for the company to give back to the local community by establishing an education platform that is accessible, and highly beneficial for all. QNET will organise regular workshops and training sessions that is estimated to benefit around 600 people every month.

Mr Biram Fall, QNET’s Regional Manager for sub-Saharan Africa, adds that “We are excited for this new milestone! Our goal is to bring sustainable, positive change to the communities we operate in through our products, services, education, and community development programmes – thus creating a more diverse, powerful, and inclusive economy for all. In fact, in the World Federation of Direct Selling Association’s latest report, Chairman Roger Barnett highlighted that the direct selling industry can demonstrate its positive social and economic impact in countries where direct selling businesses operate.”

The training centre will focus on the following goals:

Offering entrepreneurial-based capacity-building programmes for all through comprehensive training workshops led by international speakers and experts.

Fostering a conducive environment for the QNET distributor community to learn and enhance their skills. The centre will provide equal opportunities to all to learn about direct selling, QNET’s diverse product portfolio, and professional marketing practices.

Cultivating a professional community that encourages a check-and-balance system and promotes adherence to WFDSA’s Code of Ethics and QNET’s ethical policy and standards, also known as the ‘Red Lines’. These are a set of ground rules that Independent Representatives (IRs) must adhere to when conducting business. These require all IRs to operate in a fair, respectful, and professional manner at all times.

Increasing compliance with local laws and regulations and collaborating with local government bodies.

Entrepreneurship in Ghana is an essential driver of the economy – more than 90% of all businesses are small to medium enterprises (SMEs) providing opportunities, especially for youth and women, to generate a source of income and enhance living standards. Industries with lower barriers to entry, such as direct selling, are seeing explosive growth as more people explore new ways of earning a sustainable source of income by offering entrepreneurship opportunities. In 2021, the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations (WFDSA) Annual Report saw Africa and the Middle East charting the second-highest sales growth at 4.0%, bringing the total up to US$759 million. In this developing economy, companies like QNET are especially integral to economic growth for the country as it generates new self-employment opportunities, promotes development in semi-urban and rural areas, and fosters innovation in communities.

“Education is one of the most effective tools that can develop untapped talent in a community, especially for the youth,” Fall adds. “QNET’s extensive experience in organising professional development workshops worldwide mean we are well-equipped on what it takes to build an effective learning culture within the community. Our plan is to continue seeking collaboration opportunities with local government bodies and community leaders to facilitate meaningful conversations and plan actions on how we can further support Ghana’s economy.”