International breweries trains 300 youths

By Jane Chijioke

The 2019 edition of the International Breweries (IB) entrepreneurship programme, Kickstart, begins on Monday. It will hold at three designated venues in Lagos, Abuja and Anambra State.

Three 300 youths will be trained in the programme.

The youths will partake in a three-day capacity building on profitable business management. The training encompasses a robust curriculum which comprises courses on introduction to entrepreneurship; business plan development; customer service; leadership and team building; introduction to marketing; business laws and taxation; business accounting, among others.

The participants will also defend their business proposals at the next phase of the programme – Pitch Fest – where winners will be awarded grants.

Of 17,000 applicants, 300 were selected based on feasibility of the business proposal, scalability of the business and its ability to create additional jobs and continuous positive impact in its community.

The Director, Legal and Corporate Affairs, IB, Michael Daramola, said the training was pivotal to achieving success in business.

He said: “Worldwide, mentorship, training and start-up capital are three vital pillars of success in business. Over the years, the statistics of business failures have confirmed this to be true. This is the reason we take this phase seriously and have carefully selected our faculty members who will build the capacity of these young entrepreneurs with the necessary skills and knowledge to make a difference in their businesses and their respective communities by extension.”

The Country Lead, Sustainability and Stakeholder Management, Temitope Oguntokun said the training was in support of the country’s attainment of the United Nations (UN) Development Goals, adding that “Kickstart was introduced in 2016 to empower young entrepreneurs with the wherewithal to kick-start their business ventures in recognition that the growth of Nigeria increasingly depends on the ability of its enterprising youths to unlock their entrepreneurial potential.”