The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Enterpreneurship

  • President extols Dangote’s enterpreneurship virtues

    President extols Dangote’s enterpreneurship virtues

    •Businessman restates faith in economic potentials 

    President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday hailed the entrepreneurial acumen of businessman Aliko Dangote, who clocks 60 today, even as the President of Dangote Group stated that his faith in Nigeria’s economic potential remained unshaken.

    Felicitating with the Forbes’-rated Africa’s richest man, business mogul and philanthropist, Buhari hailed Dangote’s patriotism and kind-heartedness as well as contributions to safeguarding the health of the nation, especially in polio and Ebola interventions.

    In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, the President joined the business world, Dangote’s friends and family, in congratulating the celebrator.

    According to him, the global business mogul remains a shining example of the virtues of choosing entrepreneurship from an early age, treading the path of diligence, perseverance and continuous learning to build some of the world’s largest manufacturing and distribution companies, with household names in Nigeria and beyond.

    The statement reads: “As Dangote clocks 60, President Buhari commended the humility, simplicity and cosmopolitan outlook of the entrepreneur who defies ethnic and religious persuasions in extending support to the poor and vulnerable, providing employment opportunities without discrimination, while inspiring and mentoring young Nigerians to greatness.

    “The President acknowledged Dangote’s role in bolstering the economy through continuous engagement and counseling of governments on best practices in promoting the ease of doing business.

    “He prayed that the almighty God will grant Dangote more wisdom, good health and longer life to serve his country and humanity.”

    Speaking with a group of businessmen in his office at the weekend, Dangote said his passion of the nation’s economy has been the impetus underlining his investment decisions.

    “Nigeria is the world’s best kept secret”, he told his guests.

    Dangote’s birthday will today be commemorated with the planting of sixty trees at the Lekki Free Trade Zone (LFTZ) site of his proposed world-class Refinery and Petrochemical company.

  • 100 youths get JABU enterpreneurship training

    Over 100 youths nationwide are undergoing entrepreneurial skills acquisition training at Joseph Ayo Babalola University (JABU), Ikeji- Arakeji, Osun State.

    Those who excel after the exercise will get start-up capital, courtesy of the Christ Apostolic Church (Worldwide), in collaboration with the Bank of Industry (BoI).

    The trainees were selected after going through spiritual and capability screening, CAC Director of missions, Pastor Caxton Fasuyi said.

    Fasuyi said the empowerment programme which is expected to be continuous after the completion of the first batch, will no doubt help eradicate poverty in the church.

    He added that CAC Missions have invested over N10 million on putting together facilities at the training, adding that more would be spent, as every aspect of the exercise is expected to be provided free including feeding and monthly stipends, throughout the duration of the programme.

    Fasuyi also congratulated participants who scaled through the rigorous screening exercise to be among the first batch of the laudable project.

    Nonetheless, he warned them to adhere to the rules and regulations of JABU, saying the varsity would not condone indiscipline.

    The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof Sola Fajana, urged participants to take their training serious as the graduation would confer on them the studentship of JABU.

    Its Registrar, Pastor Wale Aderibigbe, Acting Bursar, Mr. Oladiran Ajayi, Dean of Students Affairs, Dr. Solomon Owolabi and the Senior Manager, the Centre for Entrepreneurship Mr. Ade Oladele  also addressed participants.

  • Enterpreneurship will solve economic problems, says BoI

    Enterpreneurship will solve economic problems, says BoI

    The Bank of Industry (BoI) has identified entrepreneurship as one of the ways to take the economy out of the woods.
    Its Acting Managing Director, Waheed Olagunju in a presentation at the second day of the first National Forum on the Economy organised by Vintage Press Limited, titled National Economy: The Way Forward, said the time has come for action having been speaking about challenges and pains.
    Represented by the GM, Joseph Babatunde, Olagunju said if the SMEs are encouraged, more jobs will be created.
    He said research by SMEDAN had shown that there are 37m SMEs in the country, adding that if they are encouraged and each of them employs one person, its multiplier effect would be tremendous.
    He said Nigeria is number 3 next to US and India in the movie industry, adding that if the strength of the country is explored in the area of the production of goods and services for which the country has comparative advantage, the economy would prosper.
    He said BoI is working with the CBN and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to develop credit bureau and collateral registry to ease access to funds to SMEs.

    According to him, the bank is also working towards the building of industrial parks, adding that the bank also has cottage agrofund, fashion fund, Nolly fund and the N5m microfinance fund.
    He urged governments at all levels to address the issue of multiple taxation.

  • ‘Enterpreneurship is key to solving employment’

    The Director of Chike Okoli Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies, Prof Edmund Egbo, has described entrepreneurship as a catalyst for growth, independence and job creation in any society. He said entrepreneurship would help individuals to be self-reliant and create employments.

    Prof Egbo, who spoke during a chat at Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) Awka, urged youths to be productively engaged and learn basic skill to escape the scramble for non-existent jobs.

    He said the centre was designed “to help people to acquire necessary tools that will make them to bring out the best in them and become valuable members of the society.’’

    He said in recent times where job scarcity is alarming, entrepreneurship was important create more jobs, noting that the centre was committed to churning out economically independent individuals.

    He explained that the centre was running degree, certificate programmes and diploma programmes in entrepreneurship for various categories of persons

    On the recent approval by the National Universities Commission (NUC) for UNIZIK to run a degree programme in entrepreneurship, he said: ‘’The good thing is that Nnamdi Azikiwe University is the first university in Nigeria that has been given approval by NUC to offer a degree programme in entrepreneurship. So we are glad to have achieved that feat.”

    Prof Egbo said graduates of the centre could gain direct entry admission into any university in the country, adding that: “the way the degree programme is designed, premium is placed on skills acquisition other than theories. Overall, there is combination of theory and practice so that at the end of one’s stay, he/she leaves the university well equipped theoretically and practically in whatever skills or area one chooses to specialise.”

    Prof Egbo called on youth to help Nigeria grow by getting themselves productively engaged.