The Convener of the Niger Delta Micro Small and Enterprises Summit, Mr Moses Siasia, has claimed that the Niger Delta Youth Professionals (NDYP) has empowered more than 1,600 Micro, Small and Medium Scale Businesses (SMEs) in the region with N500,000 grant each to support and increase the capacities of such outfits.
He explained that the organisation created over 4,922 direct and indirect jobs via the beneficiaries of the grant and trained more than 2,304 business owners on various entrepreneurship skills with the NDYP on its own empowering more than 200 business owners.
Siasia, who made this known at the 3rd edition of the summit held last Saturday in Ikot Ekpene, said the gesture was with support from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
He said the Nigerian Young Professionals Forum (NYPF), a larger body incorporating the NDYP has also through its advocacy increased its membership to over two million and spread around 15 countries of the world while the summit was also held to communicate the International Youth Day.
With focus on “Building the Culture of Entrepreneurship Compositeness Beyond” and earlier summits held in Port Harcourt and Asaba, Siasia, who is also the chairman of the NYPF and the Niger Delta Young Professionals (NDYP), said the initiative was meant to change the narrative by helping and empowering young people in the region to achieve their dreams by engaging in productive activities.
“We want our young people who are entrepreneurs to understand that the future is theirs, and that the future is entrepreneurship. The world today is diverting from hydrocarbon. We are talking about Energy Transition, Climate Change. These are where the world interests are driving to, so we must conform to modern realities. This is why we are doing this to reshape the entrepreneurial culture in the region.”
He regretted that youths in the region have been marginalized over the decades with deprivation while the region has nothing to show after decades of contributing marginally to the growth of the economy.
He cautioned young people to consider exploring the Social Media to promote their brands and businesses, rather than jumping on it as a tool to abuse political office holders.
Siasia said in his quest to develop and expand his business he has been to over 60 countries while his staff strength has risen to over 480 staff and tasked youths in the region with business dreams not to be deterred by initial challenges associated with new and growing enterprises.
While calling for a change of business mind set for the youths of the region, the convener tasked governments in the region to develop a framework that would guide and support aspiring and intelligent business minds in the area.
The guest speaker on the occasion, Ebimoboere Enyiekpemi, whose lecture centred on Entrepreneur Beyond Oil, stressed the need for a return to Agriculture due to increasing problems and change in climatic conditions.
Enyiekpemi, who is also the CEO of Afritropic Farming and Agro Services Ltd, shared tge story of her humble beginning and urged the youth in the region to consider venturing into agriculture and tap from the benefits.
She maintained that although farming resources remain available in Nigeria agro business would require passion, self-investment, consistency, resilience, focus and intellectual knowledge to thrive.
In a goodwill message, Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Barry Ndiomu charged youths to “rise above the entitlement mentality”, to set the stage for success.
“If you rise above entitlement mentality, the sky will be too small to be your starting point. Everybody stands a chance,” he said, adding that the youths must begin to think out of the box and come up with innovative ideas.
Ndiomu, who was represented by PAP’s Head of Reintegration, Musa Wilfred, advised the youths to heighten awareness, and take advantage of the current situation.
Also in their separate goodwill messages, the Chief Executives of the NDDC, NCDMB and Providus Bank harped on the need for increased engagement and redirection of focus from government handouts to entrepreneurship development among the youths of the region.
Technical sessions at the summit focused on SMEs and entrepreneurship while special recognition and grants were given to young entrepreneurs who have brazed the trail in business development in the region.