Agro businesses are springing up. They do not only want to make money; they want to create jobs too. One of them is Crest-Agro Products Limited. Its Chief Operations Officer, Leonard Ebute, says his target is to create 100,000 jobs. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

Chief Operations Officer, Crest-Agro Products Limited, Leonard Ebute, is a successful agro entrepreneur. He emphasises attention to detail and prides himself on having the instinct for spotting innovative business solutions that suit market needs.

Armed with an MBA from the Lagos Business School and a wealth of experience from multinational companies, Ebute quit his job as Head, Supply Chain,  Kimberly Clark West, to start his own businesses. He did not set out to farm. He got involved in agriculture when he saw the opportunity for solving a value chain problem for multinational companies — cassava starch.

Added to this was an increase in demand by bakeries, paint factories and pharmaceutical industries exploring local supply of high-quality cassava. The initial plan was to set up a starch plant in an area that has sufficient roots to drive sustainable production. When his team members drilled further, they saw the major risk – the reliability of subsistence farmers to supply the product. To hedge the supply risk, they decided to farm.

He said Crest-Agro Products Limited started in 2013. Today, the farm employs a large workforce.  he cultivates, processes, packages and markets cassava. His company sells in tonnes to wholesale buyers and millers. Through the group, Ebute hopes to create business opportunities in the agricultural sector by operating in  key areas of the industry.

Like any entrepreneur, he has encountered challenges. With farming, he said every single day holds its own store of opportunities and challenges. The biggest challenge, according to him, is not operational as they expected, but security. This notwithstanding, he has proved that nothing is impossible and that farming is good.

Ebute, who has become an expert in cassava growing, says early land preparation and planting will guarantee a cassava farmer good yields. In business, Ebute said cash is king. He  explained that one  can have great ideas, but if one  do not have the cash to execute the idea, it will die. For him, the elements that make up a successful business are a good idea, plus a good plan and team and rigorous implementation. He has  had tremendous mentors and worked alongside top  experts  who are captains of major industries. These foundations have served as an inspiration to open doors to start his own venture. He believes entrepreneurs are grown into their own businesses either by economic reasons, passion, a relentless will power and a dream to succeed. Looking ahead, he  sees  immense opportunities for the agribusiness industry to contribute to Nigeria ’s economic development if the sector is well organised and developed. His advice to the young generation is: ‘Be honest in business and believe in your dreams. Everything is possible if you have strong determination.’

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West Africa Regional Chapter Co-ordinator for Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE), Olatunji Ajani, has said Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have a key role in boosting productivity, but need support to expand business and increase impact.

Speaking while releasing Lagos Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Snapshot, a study conducted by ANDE, in Lagos, Ajani noted that the overall entrepreneurial ecosystem needs to be nurtured to encourage greater growth among SMEs. This, according to him, can be supported through the establishment of public-private partnerships (PPPs) delivering high-quality SME business support.

According to him, the thriving start-up community requires actors that  foster a spirit of inclusiveness, and broad  engagement across stakeholders, including  investors,  lenders, service providers, corporate partners, associations, and non-profit and community organisations.

The ANDE West Africa Chapter Co-ordinator,  highlighting key findings, noted that poor access to finance, lack of collaboration and/coordination among actors supporting entrepreneurs, difficulty in finding competent and skilled talent, and high rent are among the most pressing challenges.

According to the study, Lagos  start-up ecosystem has grown significantly in physical  hubs, start-up accelerators and incubators, funding providers, and university support.

Nevertheless, the study noted that the future is bright for reviving the state’s entrepreneurial spirit, as major institutional players continue to accelerate investment and involvement in the start-up environment. In addition, knowledge providers from the private sector are becoming more involved in offering programmes and trainings tailored to meet the needs of entrepreneurs.

He explained that the Lagos Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Snapshot was conducted with support from Citi Foundation.

Its goal, he said, was to provide better insight about the business environment, local support systems, and entrepreneurial intermediaries in and around Lagos and Abuja (Nigeria) and Accra (Ghana). It will also map the organisations supporting small and growing businesses (SGBs), and identify those gaps, challenges, and opportunities within the entrepreneurial ecosystem in these locations.

Account Manager, Anglophone West Africa, African Management Service Company (AMSCO) Mrs Imaobong Amaechi stressed the need to advance  knowledge  and   ideas  for  fostering  a  vibrant  entrepreneurial  ecosystem   that  best  supports  ongoing  small  business  growth  and  job  creation.

According to her, ANDE is an organisation that works with intermediary organisations that provide this kind of support to local entrepreneurs. Key stakeholders at the event included ANDE steering committee members: AMSCO, WEConnect International, Fate Foundation, Leap Africa, among others.

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Many graduates find it difficult getting a job. Reason: they do not have employable skills. To address the challenge, Lagos State Government has began its Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS) to help them in their job hunt. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

Despite its impressive economic growth, Lagos, like many states, is confronted with youth unemployment challenge.  Majority of the youth, who are employed, are engaged mainly in wholesale and retail businesses, as well as very low-productivity service areas.  This is because the levels of education and skills required for gainful employment are lacking in them.

To address this, the Lagos State Government has taken a bold step in identifing graduate internship as a priority area and launched its Graduate Internship Scheme (GIS).

The main objectives of the programme are  to provide the youth with employable skills, offer them work experience after mandatory national service, and provide opportunities through various modules.

Its Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti, said the state’s economy continued growth would depend on the quality of its workforce, adding that industries would need a steady supply of skilled workers, who have the credentials and workplace training.

He added, however, that one of the challenges the economy faced is preparing young graduates for jobs in sectors as the economy begins to recover.

According to him, investing in training will give job seekers, of all ages, the skills needed to open doors to economic mobility, and at the same time build the skilled workforce the state will need to thrive.

Lagos State, Durosinmi-Etti said, is supporting every  effort  to  build demand-driven workforce development systems, and prepare youths for careers in high-demand occupations.

The GIS, he explained, is designed to help all underprepared graduates have the skills needed to connect job opportunities, adding that about 2000 will be trained this year.

A  three-month programme, designed to  produce graduates, who are ready for the job market, the commissioner  said would equip  graduate interns with necessary tools to improve on their knowledge, skills and character attributes in corporate organisation.

According to him, the internship is one of the great ways to develop workplace knowledge, transferable skills and useful contacts.

The commissioner stressed that  work experience and internships are keys to  graduates getting  jobs,  as they give  interns   opportunities to gain an insight into the inner workings of a company, as well as to assess their predicted career progression.

To avoid rejection at work place, Durosinmi-Etti said young graduates need to focus their  energies on seeking relevant work experience and internships.This is because   workplace experience makes one’s CV stand out and show that one can apply oneself in a range of different roles and fields.  He noted that while qualifications are important, attitude, personality and values are essential factors recruiters consider when connecting candidates to companies.

Lagos State Ministry of  Wealth Creation and Employment Permanent Secretary, Dr. Yakub Olajide Bashorun said the programme  seeks to equip young graduates with employability and leadership skills, combined with the practical experience necessary to work, lead and contribute to development and growth.

He explained that  a broad range of partners in the private sector, have been mobilised to offer placements and training as part of the programme.

Consultant on the project and Managing Director,  Mac Tay Consulting firm, Mrs Lizzy Rotimi  pledged  the  her company’s determination to assist the state to achieve the goal of the scheme, which she said is for unemployed graduates to acquire employable skills.

According to her, the training is an opportunity for graduate interns to gain employment in organisations where they worked, as well as others, or to be self-employed.

With the high quality of ambitious graduates, who registered  with Mac Tay, the consulting firm,  it means that clients, who range from start-ups to big brands,  can make quick decisions about who to hire.

As  an incentive,  three outstanding winners  emerged from the test  conducted to select candidates for the programme.

The winners were Omoarukhe Oladele, a Geology graduate of the University of Ibadan; Olaoluwa Odunuga, a Mechanical Engineering graduate of the University of Ilorin, and Chidinma Obiagwu, a Production Engineering graduate from the University of Benin. They were the best among 500 finalists chosen for the first batch. Each of them will take home N100,000 apart from participating in the scheme.

While on internship, each participant will be given a stipend of N25,000.

Oladele hopes his experience will improve his employment prospects. “Trying to get a job is a nightmare,”he said. He  highlighted competition as the main reason for graduate unemployment. While thanking Lagos State government, he hopes he secures job. The experience, he said, will hopefully make him a good candidate for potential employers.

According to Miss Obiagwu and Odunuga, the internship programme will help them to be  more employable as both have  been looking for jobs since they graduated.

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Whether it be reorganising, re-financing or expansion, Chief Executive of Hills Harvest,Deji Rotimi is providing small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) with the know- how to succeed. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

Deji Rotimi is involved in a  unique assignment  of   providing small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) with the required  knowledge to succeed.He is the Chief Executive,Hills Harvest.He enjoys reorganising ,refinancing and expanding  smalll scale enterprises.   Rotimi said his success story  has provided the enterprises with the desired lessons upon which future support to SME’s involved in Agribusiness development will be anchored .He  has recorded  success distributing fruits and vegetables.  His words: “After successfully founding and  operating  an online food and grocery delivery business in United States(US)  and selling it  to a larger national company, I returned to Nigeria to invest in the food value chain. However, I realised a lack of a structured and functional value chain  here. The options were for me  return to US or stay and take advantage of the enormous opportunities abound from providing solutions to a myriad of problems. So, I saw opportunities. Consequently, we started out as a food distribution and marketing company servicing hotels, restaurants, supermarkets and other food operators.”

Rotimi established Hills Harvest  in 2011. The company has been in operation for about six years. Although he   is hesitant to go into the numbers game, the company is self-sustaining. The company employs over 35 workers across the country, but engages over 500 non-permanent staff and over 7000 farmers across regions producing different food products. In addition, the company is expanding its farmers network across various food types such as vegetables, poultry, meat, grains, tubers and processed foods. Hills Harvest has quickly grown into the country’s premier and most innovative farm fresh produce supplier.

He  said: “We set out with a set goal in mind – to source, grow, and deliver the very best farm fresh produce that Nigeria and the rest of the world has to offer. The company has evolved from a company providing distribution and marketing services to wholesale and retail clients; to an agricultural value chain development company. ”

His most traded produce includes tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and others – that are in high demand. Today, he has a rapidly-growing number of customers.

He has seen a huge opportunity ahead and increasing number of Nigerians interested in a consistent supply of fresh produce.

The business focal point is the home grown school feeding programme.

For him, the home grown feeding programme is a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to explore and make money.

Despite losing investment when it started, the company is today showcasing business excellence as well as highlighting successful entrepreneurship story. Its achievements over the years have not been without challenges.

Although it has not been an easy journey, the story is filled with hard work and persistence.

Growing the  business takes a lot of hard work, commitment and focus.

What have been some of his failures, and what has he learnt from them?

He answered: “I would say failures are actually lessons that you learn from. It becomes a failure when you learn nothing from it. Some major lessons I have learnt are to be diligent, focused and always ensure you keep to your agreements. These lessons have provided us enormous brand and financial value, where money would not have’’.

Rotimi is working together to catalyse investment in the agriculture value chain. The idea is to empower more entrepreneurs across all value chains including supply of agricultural inputs, production and agro-processing.

His advice to young entrepreneurs: “Ensure you engage in a business beyond the primary goal of making money, because when things are challenging, it is your passion and ideals that will keep you focused. Business is a marathon not a sprint. It is quite useful to center your business on God.”  In 10 years, he sees the company impacting on more Nigerian lives directly or indirectly. “In 20 years, we will be impacting the world from our African operations.”

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Chief Executive, Laundry Ideals Services Limited,Bosun Solarin  is one of those who believe in hard work. She started her career in the civil service but was selling  general goods on the side.  She decided to turn to business to protect herself, when she sensed there was going to be re-organisation in her place of work.  She turned to laundry business and started working on a business model.  After learning  the basics, she   started the business  in  her garage. She started her dry cleaning business with N50, 000.She bought a washing machine and a drier from Lawanson market, Lagos. But it was never going to be easy for her to start the business  at home. The clothes initially were washed and dried manually.

The laundry business had scaled up after receiving a loan from the Bank of Industry. She acquired more washing machines and a pick-up vehicle to deliver clothes to customers  in   Lagos. Despite this, she accused banks   of  discriminating  against women and old people.

At a time, her biggest handicap was being alone as  she could not get ready  hands to stay with her because of the location of the business.

Today after all the hard work and initial suffering, Solarin owns a thriving laundry business. She has been working very hard on earn a brand for her laundry. The strategy is to use machinery in cleaning, drying and creating a clean and hygienic environment in her work place.

For her, the best decision, was positioning the business as a high quality one.  This required higher investments.

However, consumers were quick to spot the additional value the business brought to the market, which in turn led to quicker acceptance of their services.

Her success mantra is “Never give up and save for the future”.

Over the last 10 years, she has been a success story in what she ventured into.

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Ekiti-born medical doctor Tope Aroge, has found fortune in processing cassava into flour, starch and animal feed. After eight years in the business, he is encouraging others to explore opportunities across the sector, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

A 28-year-old Ekiti born medical doctor, Dr. Temitope Aroge, has always wanted to be a businessman. The founder and Chief Executive Officer, Arog Bio Allied Agro Services Limited,  has his Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery,(MBBS)  from the University of Ilorin, Kwara State.

But within a few months after his youth service, his entrepreneurial instincts got the better part of him .Now Aroge sees cassava as gold.  He made a fairly dramatic career change when he switched from medicine to cassava farming . He chose to be a full time farmer.

What is it that drove the young Aroge to swap his stethoscope for cassava tubers?

His words: “I started the business in the hospital. I had an encounter with a patient who could not pay his bills and was a cassava farmer. It got me curious to see the cassava on the farm. The curiosity further led me to learn more at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Oyo State .”

As Nigerians become health conscious in their diets, Aroge decided farming and processing cassava  was the way to go.  He loves to see things grow.  He began   operations in 2009.

To learn the business, he enrolled in several  courses  that  equipped him with knowledge on cassava plant-based value addition and farming.

Today, he runs a flourishing cassava farm and processing business.  Cassava production across his farms has expanded to meet rapidly rising demand from the livestock feed, starch, and biofuel markets. Aroge said cassava trade is expanding quickly, particularly in response to burgeoning exports of dried cassava chips and starch.

His capital structure is made of grants, equity and loans. He has gotten credit lines from Bank of Industry(BoI). He added: “Getting investors include “evangelising the message of value and profit in the company. I have investors who commited as low as N50000 . I also have investors in various degrees of millions.” With the support of government and other donors, the business is expanding.

The business is unique addition to the food scene with the attempts he has made to produce garri and other derivatives. Initially, the company supplied customers in Ekiti, but it is expanding to meet a nationwide demand for cassava and derivatives. The company has 25 employees.

What’s really impressive about   cassava business, according to him, is its huge potential for wider application.

Cassava, he  explained,  has multiple uses and markets, ranging from on-farm consumption as food or livestock feed to local wet or dry starch processing and large-scale commercial operations. Consequently, he is exploring every opportunity to process cassava into higher value food and industrial products.

Beyond the realm of  garri and cassava starch, he disclosed that  other market opportunities await entrepreneurs who are ready to  scale-up the use of cassava processing residues for livestock feeds.

He has found a niche processing cassava into flour, starch and animal feed, and sees a bright future for young entrepreneurs.

Aroge is the ultimate definition of an entrepreneur. He is the visionary who can see a gap in the market before others do and then diligently fill it. He also has the tenacity to push through any barriers.

His role now is to represent farmers, sensitise farmers to the services available to them, and push for changes in policy which will help farmers.

As a result, many farmers have improved their productivity and some have even established new enterprises as a result of what they have learned.

His goal  is to bring cassava processing units to remote areas, minimise spoilage and increase farmers’ profits.

He has developed partnership with farmers and their communities which enabled them  to significantly increase their income and improve their living standards.

According to him, there are a lot of young entrepreneurs out there and they just need to put their business plans together, find a coach and get financed.

He is confident that Nigeria can dramatically reduce unemployment and poverty in the next few years with an aggressive investment in agriculture. In the next five years, he wants to see the company  listed on the stock exchange.  While he still keeps his medical licence and continuing medical education, he is more comfortable managing cassava than patients.

The post Turning cassava into gold appeared first on The Nation Nigeria.

TheRE is need to help new entrepreneurs start and grow   Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the country, Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has said.

In a keynote address at the FATE Foundation’s third  policy dialogue series on entrepreneurship entitled: Scaling entrepreneurship: How state-led efforts can unlock the youth potential,  held in Lagos, El-Rufai stressed the responsibility of the government in providing an enabling environment for businessmen and women.

Represented by Kaduna State’s Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Muhammad Sani Abdullahi, the  governor said Kaduna has taken the lead in the matter by investing in capacity building, market access, technology and eliminating barriers to MSMEs growth.

He said: “One of the things we have done in Kaduna to build the entrepreneurship ecosystem is to identify and delete all the instances of multiple taxation that have bedeviled many of our business and is killing a lot of our small and medium scale enterprises.

“We have codified our tax laws into one single unit that includes all our taxation which was passed in the beginning of last year, that law allows for only one single agency that is dealing with the internal revenue service to collect taxes on behalf of the entire state government. The impact of this is that businesses have a high survival chances and can now fully focus on providing the much needed jobs and growing the economy of Kaduna State.”

He noted that capacity building of MSMEs could be best achieved with “great emphases on the peculiarities of local context”, adding: “It is very important to study the need of an area before providing intervention.”

British Council’s Education, Enterprises and Skills Programme Director, Adetomi Soyinka, said the council ensures that its programmes were well adapted to the country to achieve optimal results.

She said: ‘’We understand that local context is central. We are conscious of the fact that whatever knowledge we are bringing into Nigeria still need to adapt it to ensure that it can be utilised effectively here. So, when we have a programme where we might have UK facilitators or a dominance of contents coming from the UK, we still ensure that we have local facilitators or mentors who work with us to adapt it to the local context. It is very critical to ensure that whatever solution or intervention that we are doing is adaptable to what the Nigeria need is because Nigeria is a very special country with a different operating environment.’’

Other speakers included Lagos State Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole and FATE Foundation Executive Director, Adenike Adeyemi.

At the event, the Mapping of the Nigerian Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Report was presented.

The FATE Foundation also  introduced its Annual Policy Dialogue on Entrepreneurship aimed at bringing stakeholders together, using its yearly Research Report as background.

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A group of entrepreneurship organisations is  set to hold a two-day  business fair where representatives from small businesses  can establish connections and explore partnerships.

The event,themed: Tropika Summer Splash, will hold between July 29 and 30.

It is being organised by Qeturah.com in partnership with Storried, Makoko Dream Project, Connect Nigeria, Printivo, Olorisupergal, Pulse.ng, Phenom PR, Nordic Food Festival, Ten Strings, and Dennis Ashley Wellness Centre.

The pop up marketplace is a great avenue for guests to engage with local brands and for local brands to make sales.

In a  statement, Qeturah.com said the forum was a fulfilment of their commitment to small business and recognising the value they contribute to the economy.

The firms, expected at the forum,  represent various services, including fashion, beauty, home décor, food, entertainment and games ready  to  showcase their products, and make sales which serves as a revenue stream for their respective businesses.

Qeturah.com is a social enterprise for promoting made-in- Nigeria’s brands.

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An Ogun-based agro entrepreneur Sola Adeniyi is attracting young Nigerians to farm-based enterprises, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

Chief  Executive, Natural Nutrient Limited, Sola Adeniyi, runs a large  agro enterprise in Ogun State. He is a successful agro entrepreneur and business owner.

He   supplies watermelons,cucumber,moringa, and plantains seeds and produce across the state and beyond.

He has a private plantain estate, pineapple plantain and a moringa processing business.

Adeniji  also owns   a 50 acres land which he used for pineapple cultivation.

A few years later, he has achieved  much with the farm growing bigger.

He chose to work on the land, rather than in an office, because he realised farmers could earn a good income

According to him, agri businesses  have the potential to create wealth and lift millions out of poverty, if it is pursued vigorously.

He plans to adopt more innovative, cutting-edge technologies to produce animal feed, manage waste, and construct solar power plants. These would further set him apart from others, he reasoned.

Very hard working, he found out that pineapple cultivation met with limited success because of some constraints.These included saline soils, a poor understanding of the requirements for nutrition, irrigation, growth and varietal adaptation, pest, disease, weather stress, crop management, and cultural practices.

To address this, Adeniyi has developed an approach that led to the successful introduction, adaptation and commercialisation of pineapple production.

According to him, pineapple is not one of Nigeria’s core fruits that can be exported because the its varieties in Nigeria are not.

Through his exposure to permaculture, Adeniyi has succeeded in large scale implementation of better soil and farm management to achieve about five per cent yearly growth.

His strategy is  safe use of chemicals, hygiene, and delivery to the market.

His organisation runs  a model production farm, a vibrant agriculture education outreach programme, and logistics services to assist promising young farmers and new small-scale farm entrants, to have effective links to market. Today, the business prides itself in matching their outreach with avenues for practical hand-on learning and business development, and aims to establish a world-class model sustainable farm.

Natural Nutrient Limited  is one of Nigeria’s  private initiatives that incubates rural entrepreneurship by radically redefining  agro entrepreneurship.The benefits include  exposing business opportunities  to youths and retirees, boosting economic benefits for farmers, bringing technology that is bridging the urban-rural divide, and helping reverse urban migration. He  is also bringing new resources and valuable networks to agricultural entrepreneurs.

To reduce poverty and unemployment, Adeniyi, also Chief Executive, Highhill Agribusiness Development and Incubation Centre (HABDEC), has embarked on free training on agricultural productivity to empower Nigerians between 18 and 50.

The free mentorship and practical agribusiness empowerment boot camp is designed to train participants on the four major crops, which include plantain, pawpaw, pineapple and potatoes, among others, horticulture and livestock.

He said the company has mapped out strategies to get young people involved in the green business through the free agribusiness internship programme.

According to him, HABDEC teaches and empowers both youths and women in  agriculture and the business of agriculture as part of efforts to reduce unemployment in the country.

He said the company intends to release 600 agricultural consultants, advocates and producers to go about anything they want to do in agriculture.

HABDEC was working to transform the agribusiness centre to a pre-university place where students can do their programmes and get certificates they can use to get direct admission.

Speaking on the free project, he explained: “We have not received help from anybody but so far, we have been able to raise funds from family, friends, partners and some of the projects we do and from our farms; we sell some of the farm produce and we make money from there.’’

A  key reason  the project is  outstanding is because participants are provided hands-on, comprehensive training on agriculture best practices over several crop cycles, linked farmers to markets, and embedded extension services.

Adeniyi   partnered the government and private organisations to ensure that people in the state depended upon agriculture for their livelihood. Through his Go Green Project, Adeniyi is helping more people to break out of the cycle of poverty to create better futures for their families.

The project provides training to individuals, especially youths and women, who look to agriculture development and built skills to fit market opportunities.

For his efforts, this year, Adeniyi received the Agro Ambassador Award.

The post Attracting youths to productive agro businesses appeared first on The Nation Nigeria.

NO fewer than 17 market men and women in Gbagada, Lagos have benefited from the micro credit scheme of the Rotary Club of Gbagada South.

They received cash worth N600,000. Three widows got free pepper grinders.

President of the club Ademola Olutusin recalled that the micro credit scheme was launched 10 years ago to minister to the needs of small scale business men and women and that since then it had waxed strong with high repayment rate.

The addition, this year, he said, were the free grinder. He urged the traders to make judicious use of the cash, adding that there were plans to increase it to N1million in subsequent editions of the programme.

He advised the widows to not sell the machines or rent them out but to use them to generate income.

District 9110 Governor Rotary International Dr Adewale Ogunbadejo said one of the objectives of the association is to help the less-privileged. He expressed satisfaction with the club, saying they were on the right track in their work.

He advised the traders to live to the expectations of the club by paying back so that the programme could continue.

The Baba Oloja (Male Leader) of Akerele and Diya market, Rev. Matthew Akerele, thanked the club for the gesture, noting that since the scheme started, it floaters had not disappointed them in cash distribution.

He added that they would not let the members of the club down.

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a new cocoa economy may be on the horizon as an international organisation, German International Cooperation (GIZ), is teaching agro entrepreneurs to explore new income possibilities across the cocoa industry. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

An international organisation, German International Cooperation (GIZ), is giving agro entrepreneurs the tools they need to turn cocoa production into a viable busines.

With  so much  money  declared  by  international chocolate makers yearly, the organisation is determined to lift smallholder farmers out of poverty.

Cocoa production accounts for 10 percent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and supports 10 million people, which translates to about 30 per cent of Nigeria ’s population.

GTZ’s long-term aim is to help the farmers become independent members of an agricultural “value chain”.

Across Ondo State, 18,648 cocoa farmers, made up of 7,449 women and 11,199 men in 648 groups across 10 local government areas, have received  the Farmer Business School (FBS) training supported by the German Development Cooperation-Sustainable Smallholder Agribusiness (GIZ-SSAB) programme. The core curriculum covers business, good agricultural practice and cooperative skills.

According to GIZ Country Director, Dr. Thomas Kirsch, “the FBS has succeeded in changing the orientation of farmers, who now see farming as a business enterprise that needs to be well planned, to reap the highest returns from the enterprise”.

Farmers have also recorded increase  income, production and yield, and group sales and purchases of input.

Speaking at the inauguration of the  FBS Farmers Cooperative Multipurpose Union in Akure, Kirsch said the partnership between the organisation and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has brought business skills training to 89,040 cocoa farmers in  six states – Abia, Cross River, Edo, Ekiti, Ondo and Osun.

The trained farmers are coordinating the groups in each local government of the states. The apex body known as Ondo State FBS Farmers’ Cooperative Multipurpose Union Ltd has been  inaugurated.

Ondo State FBS Farmers Cooperative Multipurpose Union Chairman, High Chief Ebenezer Adenisimi, said the FBS training had helped farmers to adopt business skills in their farms.

These, he noted, include record keeping of input and output, savings in banks, group purchase of farm input in large scale, group sales of farm produce to off-takers, diversification of production to generate additional income, organising and registering of groups as cooperative societies, accessing financial services from banks, keeping of farm records and putting to use good agricultural practices.

An FBS-trained farmer and leader of Igba-Otun FBS Cooperative Society, Awopeju Village, Mr. Julius Urom, noted that the group has invested in cocoa nursery, fish farming, poultry and piggery to augment their cocoa income.

He said 23 members of the society, who invested in the business with about N20,000, have increased their income base to over N100,000 inone year.

Ondo State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, lauded GIZ for the traning which, according to him, led to the formation of the Cooperative Union.

He said: “The farmers’ organisation we are about to inaugurate is a product of intervention from a Development Partner – GIZ, an outfit of the Federal Ministry of Economic Co-operation and Development of Germany.”

The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Mr. Agboola Ajayi, praised the farmers for forming the cooperative society.

This, according to the governor, was “to enable them own the programme and become self-sustaining financially as producer groups and become less dependent on the government”.

The governor announced the donation of N25.75 million for the expansion of the Farmers Business School programme.

He said this was in fulfillment of his pledge to “work with genuine stakeholders in the development of the state”.

The Regional Director, GIZ-SSAB Programme, Dr. Annemarie Matthess, said FBS is innovative. “It fosters the business mind and skills of agricultural producers, be it men or women. After Farmer Business School, the majority of farmer graduates invest in cocoa and food production for more income,” she noted.

Matthess, represented by Ayo Akinola, a Senior Technical Advisor to  GIZ-SSAB, said the FBS’s success story in five cocoa producing countries, including Nigeria, informed the expansion of FBS into 15 African countries to reach cocoa, coffee, cassava, rice, cotton, pineapple, milk, olives and tomatoes producers.

She added that the registration of new cooperatives and multipurpose cooperatives unions is “a particular achievement in Nigeria compared to our other partner-countries”.

She noted that  of the 95 new multipurpose cooperatives registered between 2011 and 2016 in Ondo, 84  have embedded the acronym “FBS”  in their names to show where they come from and what drives them;, adding that networking among the cooperatives and support provided by the state ADP led to the registration of the FBS Farmers Cooperative Multipurpose Union Ltd.

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Most undergraduates are preoccupied with how they will pay off their debts and meet their commitments while on campus. The Chief Executive, TechPreneur Africa, Bolaji Finnih, found a novel way to do it; he started his own drinks business while at the University of Lagos (UNILAG). He was one of the speakers at this month’s CFA’s Startups Hangout in Lagos, DANIEL ESSIET reports.

This  month’s CFA’s Startups Hangout in Lagos turned out to be very exciting. Two  entrepreneurs, Chief Executive, TechPreneur Africa, Bolaji Finnih,  and his iBez Solutions counterpart, Ommo Clark, shared their knowledge with startups on how to grow their businesses.

A serial entrepreneur, Finnih has founded over seven businesses in 15 years, the latest of which is Joulytics, a power solutions company offering innovative energy products and consultancy. Finnih’s is one of the entrepreneurial success stories.

A graduate of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), he studied Cell Biology and Genetics. He shared how he founded the business while in school, and  he has used the lessons he learnt in those days to build the business into what it is.

Finnih told the forum that  he established a drink business when he realised students stay late on campus daily. To make it a success, he had to work extremely hard, with many late nights to keep the business going. Open from evening, it was a melting port for students.The venture grew tremendously. Starting a business at the university, according to him, was difficult but it provided the best building blocks for any future entrepreneur.

Upon graduation, he went into recharge cards and mobile phones sales through a website.   Having mastered the business, he went into online retailing. A few years later, he left for Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, UnitQed States  (US) to study for a Master of Business Administration (MBA) Sloan Fellows Programme in Innovation and Global Leadership.

He came back well empowered and  set for the highbrow world of  business incubation and acceleration. Having mentored many youths who have gone on to build successful businesses, he refused to take excuses from  unemployed youths still awaiting   white-collar jobs.

Instead of wasting away at home, Finnih advised young people to grab opportunities in their communities and provide  solutions that will help them  become entrepreneurs and active participants in the country’s economy.

On his own, Finnih has  established a  partnership with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)  Legatum Centre for Development & Entrepreneurship and the MasterCard Foundation to open up new avenues for young entrepreneurs to develop locally grown solutions to problems.

On her part, Ommo, Principal Software Designer & CEO at iBez, said she started off her career with Real Asset Management, United Kingdom (UK) as an Application Support Consultant. She moved to Lehman Brothers UK as a Team Leader charged with managing the web applications for the Mortgage Capital Division.

She later moved to Nigeria in 2008 where she worked with a Software Company-SoftSolutions (EnterpriseWare) as Head, Delivery and Support until 2010 and then as an International Development Company as Chief Operations Officer (COO) until December 2012.

She started running iBez full time in January 2013. She came up with Internet-based solutions to address some of these issues. The first of these is Handy Jacks, which is an application to find local vetted and trained tradespeople and technicians on demand.

However, her entrepreneurial journey has been a roller coaster, full of ups and down. This is because she didn’t know how to run a business when she first started, although she had worked in the corporate world. She was soon to overcome her problems as the business has evolved dramatically.

She has decided to take on less design work and focus on marketing her software and on teaching other designers. She also advised young entrepreneurs do a thorough research about the businesses they want to venture into to acquire knowledge about the business.

The  convener, Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata, said CFA’s Startups Hangout is a monthly meet where entrepreneurs meet, network, learn and grow.

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Food entrepreneur Miss Bolaji Ekundayo is one of the  few graduates, who can boast of their own businesses before graduating.

The embodiment of entrepreneurial spirit, the Obafemi Awolowo University graduate’s passion  for running a business is noteworthy. Miss Bolaji represents a strong entrepreneur and innovative thinker.

Her entrepreneurial journey began after she found out at an early age that the food sector was her true calling. Though she started a small venture, today, she is running a thriving food business, providing catering services at weddings and otherv events.

She has catered for dozens of private events and personal “cheffed” to many. She said her undergraduate days were challenging yet rewarding.

While at university, Bolaji created tasteful soups and meals, which students found delightful. They helped advertise her culinary expertise through word of mouth and recommendations.

Her words: “Customers come via word of mouth.” In this way, she began to think of the university as her “home away from home”.

Running a business was not easy; she encountered challenges along the way. The jam-packed weekend schedule that comes with jobs means early wake-up times and many late nights to prepare for events.

However, she embraces these challenges, noting: “It was necessary to experience the bad days in order to realise and appreciate the good ones.‘’

The university has provided her with an opportunity to pursue her passion and continue building her business. The experience opened  many doors in her life.

After graduation and completing her National Youth Service, Bolaji    decided against paid employment.

As business is growing, she is trying to break into corporate events. Her food is made like any at home. Her ambition is to make it easy for everyone in Lagos to eat good food during events.

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USAID West Africa Trade and Investment Hub Consultant Mr. Musa Rubin has urged garment exporters to establish brands to boost their trade.

He spoke at a workshop organised by the Trade Hub and Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) in Lagos.

Rubin  discussed the diversity of the United States (US) market, where over 50 million people spend an average of $1,000 per person on garments yearly.

“As Nigeria is closer to the U.S. than Asia, it offers a particular geographic advantage. We don’t have to go through the Suez Canal or around Africa; it is just a straight shot,” Rubin said.

Another advantage, according to Rubin, is the relatively low wage cost, meaning, if manufacturers improve productivity and quality, they can in turn increase access to the market.

“And, finally, I think this is probably the more important point. Nigeria is a cauldron of creativity; the culture and designs would enable you to create demand in niche markets,” he added.

Rubin, then, tasked each garment manufacturer to think about their capabilities and competitive advantage and consider where they want to be in the future in terms of pricing, product mix, order size, consumer perception of quality, and responsiveness.

Trade Hub Apparel Value Chain Specialist Mr. Emmanuel Odonkor addressed the importance of certification.

Odonkor and Finance and Investment Specialist Mr. William Addo took participants through the importance of becoming Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP) certified—a requirement for many international apparel retailers— as well as how to prepare for trade shows and access finance to expand their operations.

At the end of the workshop, participants formed the Nigerian Association of Apparel Manufacturers (NAAM) and elected members of the association’s steering committee.

NAAM is expected to engage government and other key stakeholders in the sector to sensitise them on the opportunities that prevail in the sector, particularly job creation and revenue generation.

The  Trade Hub and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) brought together about 40 apparel stakeholders to learn how to expand and enter international markets, particularly the U.S. market through the U.S. African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) – an  important challenge for Nigerian apparel factories, as identified in last year’s Trade Hub assessment of the apparel sector.

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Afterschool Centre for Career Development, an empowerment organisation in Calabar, the Cross River State capital,  has  launched its PushForSkills Campaign as part of its activities to conversational series  promote the United Nations World Youth Skills Day.

Designated by the United Nations, the World Youth Skills Day (WYSD)  started in 2015.

It has raised awareness about the importance of youth skills development.

The centre’s Faculty Lead Ms. Esther Eshiet, stressed the need to promote WYSD to reduce the number of young people who are out-of-school and not in education institutions, employment and training (NEET).

According to her, the number of unemployed persons globally this year is about over 201 million – with an additional rise of 2.7 million expected next year – as labour growth outstrips job creation, according to the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO’s) World Employment and Social Outlook – Trends 2017 (WESO).

Ms Eshiet explained that the centre  campaign seeks to generate more awareness on the relevance of skills development comprising core skills, technical and vocational skills as well as highlight the place of skills acquisition in driving employability and entrepreneurship.

She  further explained  that the centre would  host Twitter Chats on four key high impact areas of Agriculture, Social Entrepreneurship, Environment and Eco-Tourism as well as Digital and Communications Technology.

According to  the schedule, the  Twitter Chats will be hosted on July 28, August 4 and  11, using  the hashtag # The #PushForSkills and #PushForSkillsAMA.

Afterschool Centre for Career Development (formerly known as Afterschool Peer Mentoring Project) is a non-governmental, capacity development organisation committed to inspiring, investing and engaging the young as well as facilitating opportunities for them in the transitional stages of their lives.

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The Federation of Agricultural Commodities Association of Nigeria (FACAN) is promoting sweet potato flour as a viable business. The project is expected to be a source of income for the unemployed, civil servants and retirees. DANIEL ESSIET reports.

The Federation of Agricultural Commodities Association of Nigeria (FACAN) is exploring a range of agro produce as part of a strategy to expand exports and boost domestic production.

It believes there is high demand for sweet potato, melon, mango, pineapple, yam, pepper, pumpkin, herbs and spices.

Specifically, a project to promote sweet potato flour to serve as cassava substitute is in the offing.

Sweet potato has many uses.  Not only can it be grown as a food substitute for cassava, it can also serve as a potential source of raw materials for industrial uses and food delicacies.

In addition, it can be processed into feeds, flour, starch, and other products for local and export markets.

FACAN National President Dr. Victor Iyama, noted that sweet potato is a nutritious vegetable with a lot of potential.

Apart from this, he noted that there are business opportunities along the sweet potato value chain; from planting to marketing and processing of the crop.

In view of this, he  said the  association would promote sweet potatoes processing into flour that would be consumed like garri in  homes  and  restaurants.

He explained that a lot of Nigerians would be trained on how to process sweet potatoes into flour and a wide variety of value-added offerings for the retail market to enable them  start new business along the value chain.

One advantage that sweet potato provides for the youth considering agro business, according to him, is that it can be harvested within four months. Secondly, startup capital can be as low as N250,000.

As Nigerians are encouraged to cut sugar intake and eat more fibre and antioxidants, he said sweet potato is full of vitamins.

To move this project forward, Iyama said the association would  partner Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), which has promised to provide its members with  special machines that can process  sweet potatoes  into  flour.

Working with Iyama in the campaign is the National President, Potato Farmers Association Of Nigeria (POFAN), Hon Bayo Agboola, who   wants the public to take advantage of sweet potatoes’ rich vitamins which cure vitamin A deficiency diseases.

Besides being rich in Vitamin A content, he noted that sweet potato could help in fighting obesity.

Agboola, also the Southwest coordinator of FACAN, explained that sweet potato  production  is  financially viable, adding that one could go into commercial  production  of  tubers, vines, storage technologies  and  snack  production.

With small scale processing facilities, he believes a lot of entrepreneurs can process sweet potato into products that can be used in sauces, vegetable/fruit juices, among others.

He explained that it could be grown in various soils – from heavy to sandy. However, it thrives best in sandy loam soils rich in organic matter in areas with uniform rainfall and good drainage.

He explained that the crop could be planted throughout the year but the ideal planting time for best varieties was at the onset of the rainy season or immediately after the rainy season when soil is still moist.

On the whole, according to him, sweet potato is relatively cheap for households.

Meanwhile, the demand for sweet potatoes has increased country wide with more entrepreneurs venturing into the business.

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• Only startup in Africa chosen to participate

 Farmcrowdy, a digital agriculture platform in Nigeria, has been selected by Techstars Atlanta as one of the members of the 2017 Class to participate in its accelerator program in partnership with Cox Enterprises.

The digital startup which was founded in 2016, was named in an announcement made by Techstars on Monday, July 17among the 114 tech startups worldwide participating in the accelerator program.start-ups worldwide participating in the accelerator program.

Techstars is a Worldwide Network that helps entrepreneurs succeed through different avenues and partnerships. With applications from 42 different companies, Farmcrowdy is the only African company which was selected as part of Techstars’ accelerator program.

In his remark, the CEO of Farmcrowdy, Onyeka Akumah who was at Techstars Atlanta on Monday said: “We thank God for the progress He has shown us so far. We are super excited about this opportunity and will be looking forward to learning more from the Techstars Community on how we can scale our efforts from 1,000 currently engaged small-scale farmers to about 10,000 small scale farmers in the next 12 months.

“We also hope to learn about building more relationships with key agro-players in and outside Nigeria in addition to the ones we have while taking advantage of, and amplifying the government’s efforts to grow the Agriculture space in Nigeria.agro-players in and outside Nigeria in addition to the ones we have while taking advantage of and amplifying the government’s efforts to grow the Agriculture space in Nigeria.

“With the knowledge acquired, Farmcrowdy can encourage more youths and middle-class Nigerians to participate in Agriculture while being ‘farmers without a farm’ for the purpose of creating impact and getting returns.”

The Q3 2017 class will now commence an intensive, bootcamp-style program, with weekly mentor meetings, classes and training on various subjects ranging from marketing to sales to funding, and technical and business support.

All participants will be working out of Techstars Atlanta’s Ponce City Market space bootcamp-style program, with weekly mentor meetings, classes and training on various subjects ranging from marketing to sales to funding, and technical as well as business support.

Farmcrowdy, which was voted Top 25 Most Innovative Companies & Institutions Awards 2017 by BusinessDay and won The Agro-Innovator of the Year Award 2016/17 by the Nigeria Agriculture Awards, aims to end poverty one farmer at a time.

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Dr Tony Elumelu, Chairman, United Bank for Africa (UBA), urged Nigerian students to embrace entrepreneurship in order to overcome the problem of unemployment.

Elumelu, founder of the Dr. Tony Elumelu Foundation made the call in Sokoto where he addressed students at the National Dialogue Series organized by the Students’ Union, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.

The Dialogue Series was organised in collaboration with the management of the institution.

Himself, Tony, a successful entrepreneur, acknowledged with gratitude while expressing happiness for the opportunity accorded him to speak directly to the youths.

According to him” I applaud this kind of initiative that brings today’s leaders and the people to whom the future truly belongs to interact and share perspectives.

“ The Tony Elumelu Foundation is committed to empowering young African men and women as my contribution towards the development of our continent.

” This is borne out of my deep-rooted belief that entrepreneurship is the single most critical
ingredient for economic empowerment and jobs creation.”

Elumelu further commended the efforts of the Vice Chancellor, Professor Abdullahi Abdu Zuru and the University’s management for instituting the National Dialogue Series.

In the same vein, he lauded the efforts of an alumnus of the University Dr. Shadi Sabeh, for his
efforts and the Tony Elumelu Foundation, respectively in seeing that the National Dialogue Series sees the light of the day while describing Shadi as,” a fine example of the great force and impact our young ones can achieve if we support and empower them.”

However, the successful entrepreneur also called on the students to be proud of the University which had produced many great men like Shadi, and Sokoto State Governor, Barrister Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, whom he described as,” a digital governor.” adding that,” the Usmanu Danfodiyo University has such rich legacy, an impeccable pedigree, and an outstanding academic track record that distinguishes it as one of Nigeria’s finest institutions.

“If you are a student of this great university, you have every reason to be proud, and if you are an alumnus, you equally have every reason to be proud.”

In his remarks, Chairman of the occasion, Alhaji Muhammad Zangaria, acknowledged the great impact the guest speaker has been making in seeing that the African Continent joins the league of developed nations.

Also speaking, Vice-chancellor of the University, Professor Abdullahi Abdu Zuru, lauded the UBA
Chairman for the intellectual nurturing of students of the institution noting that Elumelu remains an icon of great recognition
in the continent and globe at large.

Zuru further advocated the establishment of the Tony Elumelu Business School in the University, in partnership with Elumelu while disclosing that the proposed School would be training budding Entrepreneurs in the country, to further tame poverty, unemployment and youths restiveness.

Similarly, the Vice Chancellor opined that the proposed school would help in providing plausible solutions to the formidable socio-economic problems plaguing Nigeria.

While commending the management of the institution, President of the Students Union, Comrade Idris Mubarak Maibasira said,” the unparalleled philanthropic movement of Elumelu had taken a myriad of Nigerians out of poverty and had equipped scores with entrepreneurial skills.

He further enjoined the Sokoto State Government and Elumelu ‎ to assist in easing students accommodation problems on campuses while requesting the UBA Chairman to construct a pedestrian bridge at the “Kofar mata” route, to serve as part of the Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility.“

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The rags-to-riches story of Chief Executive, Business Impact Limited, Mr Samson Olatunde, will serve as an inspiration for those hoping to make it big in the start-up world. He shared it during Digital Enterprise Summit 2017 held at David’s Christian Centre, Elegushi Beach Road, Lekki Penninsula II , Lagos,DANIEL ESSIET reports.

Nigeria is in a run to achieve big heights in terms of economy with young talents who come up with successful business ideas. Such startups are predicted to be billion naira companies within a span of  time. Chief Executive, Business Impact Limited, Mr  Olatunde Samson is one among many such talents.

Samson has always wanted to be financially independent. He shared during Digital Enterprise Summit, a forum for career & business executives, which held at David’s Christian Centre, Elegushi Beach Road, Lekki Penninsula,Lagos.

He recalled that as an undergraduate at Ogun State University, where he studied Business Administration, he wanted to assuage his parents’ financial burden.

While in the university, he started computer tutorials for his fellow students and made some money to take care of his needs. Sometimes later, he heard about an internet business seminar put together by Success Attitude Development Centre (SADC).The hype about the seminar was too much for him to contain.  But the N25, 000 gate fee stood before him like the famous Mount Kilimanjaro. He had to persuade some of his friends to lend him the money with the promise to refund it when he returned from the seminar. Though he got the money, there was a delay in the process. This made him turn up late for the seminar. He had to appeal to the convener and Publisher, Complete Sports, Dr Samson Ojeagbase to repeat what he had taught others in the past two days. The man was eager and answered his questions. At the end of the seminar, he was handled a CD that contained some e-books with resale rights on them. He was devastated because he expected something better than it since the organisers promised he was going to get rich quick after participating in the seminar. He decided to return to school in the evening as he didn’t want to be embarrassed by those who lent him the money.

But he didn’t not realise the CD was a goldmine. As he was instructed during the seminar, he decided to  reproduce the eBooks and sell them. After printing and placing poster, he received tremendous responses. He  reproduced the eBooks and  raked in N4 million in sales in four months.

As business started growing, he had to deal with several issues and the most irksome among these was looking for bigger office space.

Today, he operates from an exquisite office in Gbagada, Lagos. Samson, alumni Pan Atlantic University is one of the few Nigerians that have their books on Amazon.com, the largest online bookshop.

Founder, LoyalBonus Rufai Oseni urged young entrepreneurs to  explore businesses to address high levels of unemployment.

The event attracted successful entrepreneurs, youth entrepreneurs and  members of startup companies.

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As government cannot create enough jobs for today’s young people, non-governmental organisations are now teaching skills, and fostering creativity among students through entrepreneurship training.

Star Girl Education Foundation (SGEF) is encouraging young girls to focus on their future careers and starting their own businesses.

How can we foster an entrepreneurial spirit and nurture a next generation of doers and dreamers?

It is by instilling the skills of entrepreneurship and good life skills in young girls.

In response to this, a  Lagos –based non-governmental organisation, Star Girl Education Foundation (SGEF) is sowing the seeds of innovation and preparing young girls  to thrive in today’s economy by bringing the business world into the classroom and strengthening the connection between education and economic prosperity. It held a one-day career mentorship programme for high school students.

The event took place at  Ikosi Junior High School, Lagos. It involved 38 girls. SGEF mentored the girls on how to explore business opportunities and career choices. The programme entitled “Choosing the Right Career” was very well received by the Principal, Vice Principal and Career Counsellor at Ikosi Junior High School.

One of the coordinators, Funmilola Kehinde, said the purpose of the programme was  to educate, train and empower the next generation of young female  entrepreneurs (TeenPreneurs) so that they become difference-makers who lead productive, fruitful and purposeful enterprises and experience meaningful lives of integrity, serving others and making Nigeria a better place.

“Our goal is to introduce entrepreneurial skills at an early age and nurture an entrepreneurial drive and values that would set students on the right path for success in achieving their God-given career and life goals.”

According to her, investments in early girl education will always result in long-term returns that affect individuals’ lives.

She explained that   youth entrepreneurship needed attention – particularly young girls with the population aging quickly and career choices for young adults are limited.

During this training, children were taught to believe that success comes from hard work. The trainers encouraged the young girls to talk about their visions for the future and discuss the issues of entrepreneurship. The girls expressed their desires to become doctors, fashion designers, accountants and bankers. Most of them had a limited view of the 21t century careers such as social media managers, ITconsultants and the likes.

After the end of the programme, the girls were more aware and educated about the new career paths and also promised the team they would work hard and never give up on their dreams. The forum offered the opportunity for the student to network through fun and to develop confidence and leadership skills.  SGEF’s team made up of Funmilola Kehinde, Tomi Bamgbelu, Anu Adelakun, Seun Taylor and Onyechi Chukwujama expressed their satisfaction at the success of the programme. They also encouraged the girls to find their strengths and focus on it very early. They emphasised the importance of having a good relationship with God as it is the bedrock of success in life.

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