2014 Tutu Fellow Ada Osakwe was interviewed by Richard Quest on CNN regarding the impact of COVID-19 on businesses in Nigeria and how she has been helping her employees. Ada explained how she was prioritising her employees, but that small businesses, which were negatively impacted by social distancing and closures, needed government assistance.
Richard Quest, is a journalist and the CNN Business Editor at Large, and interviewed her on his programme Quest Means Business.
Given the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to minimise social contact, many businesses like Ada's are temporarily closing. Sales at her health food restaurant, Nuli, are down 95% due to lockdowns. Still, Ada is optimistic: “As long as we stay together as small businesses, as humanity, we should be able to pull through this.” She explains in the interview that she has continued to prioritise her workers where possible, but the future, if trends continue, are bleak.
Ada did call for support for small and medium businesses from the Nigerian government.
Watch the full interview below:
Report