The Minister of Youths & Sports Development, Sunday Dare, and First Bank of Nigeria Limited have advised youths on the need to generate creative business ideas that would attract funding for their entrepreneurship schemes.
Speaking at the National Company of the Year (NCOY) competition, Dare said youths with creative ideas have good chances of accessing the N75 billion Youth Development Fund being promoted by the Federal Government to support youth-owned businesses.
He said entrepreneurship has a critical role to play in solving Nigeria’s unemployment problems as the world is looking beyond qualifications and focusing on creative ideas.
In her goodwill message, Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, First Bank of Nigeria, Mrs. Folake Ani-Mumuney, said the bank has been supporting the NCOY competition which is an extension of the Junior Achievement Nigeria (JAN) Company Programme designed to empower students on financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship through experiential, hands-on programmes.
Ani-Mumuney said the 10th Anniversary of NCOY is a significant milestone. She also stated that NCOY brings together outstanding students and business teams across Nigeria to compete to represent Nigeria at the African Company of the year competition.
Continuing, Dare said the uptake of technology is very high among youths, adding that the programme was enriching and promising for the students to achieve their life ambitions and solve societal problems.
He said the technical skills the participants exhibited showed that Nigeria has a future for younger generations.
He said the idea of what a non-governmental organisation is changing, as they are now using technology and knowledge to solve societal problems.
At the end of the contest, the New Phase from Brookstone Secondary School, Port-Harcourt, Rivers state emerged winner producing an eco-friendly block.
The second runner up was Jikoru from Alvana Secondary School, Owerri, Imo state designing a web platform that connects freelancers to jobs; while the first runner up was Amazing Amazons from Government Girls Secondary School, Abaji, Abuja came up with an innovative Health technology that connects hospitals to blood banks and to blood donors.