Deploying technology to plug revenue loopholes: Georgetown University MBA students visit SML Ghana

Strategic Mobilisation Limited (SML) Ghana, a revenue assurance and audit firm, has hosted MBA students from Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business, Washington D.C., USA.

The visit was to seek practical exposure on how Ghanaian businesses are leveraging technology to impact lives and transform the economy.

The students, made up of different nationalities, are part of Georgetown’s Emerging Markets Network (EMN) — a student-led organisation that promotes an understanding of emerging markets within the Georgetown community.

Addressing the students, the Managing Director of SML Ghana, Christian Tetteh Sottie, expressed gratitude for the recognition of the company's work across the world, adding that the visit served as a springboard to continue to offer the best services possible in order to advance the nation.

“The use of SML Ghana as a case study by these international students is highly welcomed, and we appreciate it because what we are doing is valued both domestically and internationally.

“These students have traveled to visit us in order to learn about what we do and how it affects our economy, and this visit will only strengthen our resolve to keep doing what we are already doing, while we look for additional ways to improve,” he stated.

He said the organisation's next goal, was to provide such added value services across other economic sectors to aid in the country's economic transformation.

Business models

The President of Georgetown's Emerging Markets Network (EMN), Esther Adusei, explained that the trek to Ghana was for students to explore diverse business models and industries in the country, and to learn about how start-ups, established companies, and small and medium enterprises were adapting their business models to meet the needs of their customers.

“This year, EMN has picked Ghana as our first destination for what we plan to be an annual trek to the African continent.

“We will be visiting companies in Ghana in various industries to learn about how business is done in Africa,” she stated.

Ms Adusei said the trek, in accordance with the goals of the McDonough School of Business, fostered a global learning experience through the understanding of the business landscape and the cultural experience of an emerging market like Ghana.

Significant impact

Ms Adusei further noted that SML Ghana was chosen as a case study due to the significant impact it had made in a short period of time.

“One of the things we wanted to do as a network was to bring emerging markets to the perspective of MBA students because we believe it is the next frontier of opportunities and investments.

“We wanted to explore how businesses can be profitable and also impact communities, and SML is really unique in that way because they have shown significant impact,” she noted.

The students also toured the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) and other companies in the financial services and energy sector, including Chipper Cash, Blackstar Group, Letshego, Cenpower, and Cybele Energy-Oil and Gas.