Young Professionals to Hold Entrepreneurial Summit in Delta State
- Some young professionals in the Niger Delta have not had a veritable platform to display their entrepreneurial talents
- The Nigerian Young Professionals Forum is helping to galvanise such people to ensure they are guided on the right path
- Prominent Nigerians have been lined up to mentor the young citizens as they embark on an impactful economic journey
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Asaba - The 2nd Niger Delta Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Summit, will hold in Asaba, Delta state on Saturday, February 17.
The event which is organized by the Niger Delta Young Professionals (NDYP), is a sequel to the pioneer edition held in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital in February 2021.
A statement issued by organisers of the summit led by the convener, Moses Siloko Siasia said the event is aimed at consolidating on the gains of the inaugural edition.
Source: Twitter
According to the organisers, the event is timely and apt and needed to change the narrative of the Niger Delta, by strategically engaging the youths to dissuade their minds from violence, drug abuse, cultism, and other criminal vices.
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While stressing that this kind of event is needed in the region, Mr. Siloko harped that other states in the oil-rich region must now take a cue from states like Delta, Akwa Ibom, and Edo in driving human capacity development.
He also bemoaned that governments in the region are guilty of paying less attention to the youths and are more interested in awarding contracts, rather than building human capacity.
His words:
“Even the success story of the Presidential Amnesty Programme has not been far reached because there is no well thought out strategic evaluation process.
“The culture of entrepreneurship is paramount to the peculiarity of the situation of the Niger Delta.”
Stakeholders supporting the summit include the Central Bank of Nigeria, led by Godwin Emefiele, who is from Delta; Heritage Bank chaired by Ifie Sekibo; Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, and Niger Delta Development Commission led by Effiong Akwa.
The statement added that this year’s event will:
“Foster increased support from partners as well as focus on the need to forge a robust partnership with the Presidential Amnesty Programme to further expand the outcome of the Niger Delta MSME Summit.”
Post-oil economy: How young professionals held inaugural summit in Port Harcourt
In the inaugural Summit last year, over 300 Niger Deltans who participated benefited from the NIRSAL intervention loan for small business owners.
Among other things, the summit helped to generate a database of all the existing small businesses in the region while galvanizing stakeholders' buy-in for the strengthening of businesses operating in the Niger Delta region to facilitate their sustainable growth.
The summit was attended by young business owners between the ages of 18 and 45, with events that included product showcases, main-stage keynotes, interactive sessions, style breakouts, business-to-business meetings, mentoring sessions, and networking opportunities.
Source: Legit.ng
