By Adeyinka Adeniran
In a bid to reinforce her commitment to creating sustainable future for young people, SOS Children Village, Nigeria has supported four outstanding youth with the sum of N1million each for seed funding for their business development in Ibadan.
The four beneficiaries emerged from a Product Fair and Investment Pitching Competition which held in collaboration with KRP-FEMA, an implementing partner of the organisation.
The fair highlighted the innovation and potentials of youth-led businesses.
Addressing the participants at the product fair, the Oyo state Programme Manager for SOS Children Village Nigeria, Mr Gabriel Adajie said the organisation has been contributing meaningfully to youth development, noting that the support for young people remains a commitment for the future of Nigeria.
He recalled that, in the last 3 years, creating opportunities through the Product Fair and Investment Pitching Competition platform has been one of the organisation’s core mandate to help youths realise their full potential and become key contributors to their communities and the Nation at large.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of KRP-FEMA, Kaneng Rwang-Pam, said the commitment of the youths that participated earned over a hundred of them free businesses name registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission during the program adding that some of participants who scaled up rapidly have also been impacting the Oyo State’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
She urged the participants to take advantage of the opportunities before them and use their potentials to make a difference in this generation and beyond.
The keynote speaker, Mr Yemi Omotunde spoke extensively about the potential of digital banking in Nigeria, stating, “with 63 percent of our population under the age of 25, the stage is set for rapid growth in digital finance.
“One way to make a difference in the business world is to think like Paystack, begin small, scale quickly, and strategically capture market share.”
Also speaking, the Executive Assistant to the Governor of Oyo State, Mr Idowu Ogedengbe who described the initiative as both timely and inspiring, warned that “If we fail to act, we risk becoming a nation plagued by unemployment and crime.”
Mr Ogedengbe commended the initiative by SOS children’s village for the empowering and supporting youths, saying it is a clear evidence that, with proper funding, young people have the capacity to build a stronger, more prosperous economy for the country.
In their separate remarks, the four beneficiaries of the empowerment assured SOS Children’s village that the funds given to them will be judiciously harnessed to develop their businesses to make their long time dreams come true.
They also promised to impact and empower others as their business develops to give back to the society as a sustainable way of building the country.
