Entrepreneurship Student Graduates Cum Laude

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Mrs Abiola Abatan graduated cum laude with a Master of Commerce in Entrepreneurship at the UKZN 2018 Spring Graduation ceremonies.

Abatan, whose topic explored the profitability, success and survival of Small, Medium and Micro-sized Enterprises, said while SMMEs have a huge impact on a country’s economy, many of them still end up failing. ‘A large number of SMMEs are not making decisions that are strategic enough for their business competitive advantage and sustainability,’ she said.

Originally from Lagos, Nigeria, the mother of two said her findings showed that although SMMEs are aware of business actions or strategies available for their businesses’ sustainability, they disagree with adopting some of these strategies due to major challenges that they face. 

The cum laude graduate encouraged girls and women to believe in themselves. ‘Failure does not mean that you can never achieve greatness in your lifetime. Once you have an opportunity, grab it and make good use of it,’ she said.

Abatan thanked her supervisor, Dr Sulaiman O Atiku, for his ‘constant guidance and patience,’ and her family for their support and understanding. She paid tribute to her ‘wonderful and supportive husband,’ Mr Omotayo Abatan. ‘I thank him for believing in me and for his constant encouragement,’ she said.

Abatan is a consultant at Greenhall Enterprise where she provides operations and market research services for entrepreneurs. In her spare time, she loves travelling, going to the cinema and spending time with her family.

Words: Raylene Captain-Hasthibeer