AEA disburses N20 million to young entrepreneurs
NAN-H-80
Disbursement
By Kabir Muhammad
Abuja, Oct. 6, 2016 (NAN) The Abuja Enterprising Agency (AEA), has activated access to credit facility worth N20 million and disbursed to the finalists of the 3rd Abuja Business Plan Competition.
The acting Managing Director of the agency, Alhaji Tukur Arabi said this at the Grand Finale of the Competition on Thursday in Abuja.
He said there were also additional cash prizes worth N750, 000 to the nine top performers in the three categories.
According to him, the competition is borne out of the FCT’s vision to ensure the provision of an enabling environment for the youth to take their rightful places in the area of business.
He said it was therefore made to chart a new and sure path to self-reliance and economic emancipation.
According to Arabi, the money was meant to empower the teeming young men and women with great business ideas and usher them into the world of entrepreneurship.
“The agency has successfully held two editions of the competition where the winners were given cash prizes to start the businesses they planned including registration with the CAC and hosting their websites.
“The 3rd competition is designed to sustain the success of the previous competitions with focus on the key sectors of the Nigerian economy which include agriculture, fashion and ICT,” he said.
Arabi said the agency would not relent in creating jobs for the youth in the FCT to reduce the high rate of unemployment.
“Our goal is to reduce to a reasonable level, the rate of extreme poverty in the territory which is significantly high.’’
The director-general commended the FCTA and Airtel Nigeria for their support and contributions toward developing entrepreneurial society.
He said the agency rolled out programmes and activities that had already started yielding results which included training of two batches of youths in Graphic Design and Web Development.
“Our target is to train 150 youths by Dec. 2016 on ICT. So far we have trained 50.
“The agency has completed the establishment of Rural Business Clusters as part of One Village, One Product Project (OVOP) in Rimbo and Nuku in Abaji Area Council.
“The cluster is for Shea Butter Production and at Chikuku Community in Gwagwalada Area Council is for Cassava Value Chain,’’ he said.
In his address, the Permanent Secretary, FCTA, Dr Babatope Ajaikaye, challenged the participants to put into practice the knowledge acquired during the exercise.
The permanent secretary was represented at the occasion by the acting Secretary, Transport Secretariat, Alhaji Suleiman AbdulHamid.
In his keynote address, Alhaji Ibrahim Buba, the Chairman, New Age Communications, urged the participants to be persistence and committed to seeking information, to be able to set goals.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that 800 participants took part in the competition. (NAN)
Edited by Jane-Frances Oraka, Julius Enehikhuere