Facebook is now Meta. It is something we will have to wrap our heads around in the coming months as the tech giant tries to find its footing following the transition. While it remains to be seen what the change holds for general users, for those in small business, Meta is using WhatsApp to make a coaching tool available locally.

The Facebook Business Coach as it is called, likely developed pre-Meta, is aimed at assisting small business in regions across the African continent to get online and start leveraging ecommerce tools where needed.

There is one caveat though, with the platform only optimised in English speaking countries at this stage, with South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya highlighted by the tech giant.

“In today’s social-media-driven environment, information on building your brand on online platforms can be crucial in what sets a small business apart and drives success. At Meta, we’re passionate about empowering SMBs in Africa with the skills they need to succeed online,” notes Nunu Ntshingila, regional director at Meta Africa regarding the platform.

“We know that they are the backbone of the African economy and the drivers for economic growth. We hope the Facebook Business Coach will be their partner along this journey, providing training they need through their mobile phones,” she added.

Further unpacking what is available via the small business coach, Meta said that it is a free curriculum platform and features step-by-step courses and tutorials, as well as helpful infographics, videos, and audio clips.

It adds that learning material is recommended based on a user’s needs and queries, while the WhatsApp bot provides SMBs with access to learn the basics, along with more in-depth training to get officially certified with Meta Blueprint courses online.

To check out the Facebook Business Coach for yourself, head here.