Sensitisation
Abuja, June 12,2018(NAN) Mr. Mimshach Obioha, Programme Director,Ventures Platform Foundation(VPF) says the foundation has started sensitizing young entrepreneurs and undergraduate innovators on the need to apply for USD100,000( N361,000,000) Anzisha Prize for young innovators.
Obioha said this on Tuesday during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN),Abuja.
According to him, The storytelling sessions being hosted by a Anzisha fellow, Tonje Bakang Tonje, Founder and CEO of Afrostream is to give students first hand account of such opportunity.
“ Tonje is an Anzisha fellow and one of the mentors at our organization.
“ He is reaching out to say he is the brand Ambassador for the Anzisha Prize which gives equity-free funding to really young entrepreneurs between the ages of 15-22 years.
“ We invited him to come to Nigeria,come to universities and interact with the young people who believe at building the future,” he said.
In a separate interview, Tonje urged students and young innovators to be passionate to solve problems affecting their immediate communities with globally acceptable solutions.
“The Anzisha Prize gives very young African Entrepreneurs seed funding as well as comprehensive business and individual support to help them grow their businesses.
“The students need to emphasise on building businesses of their own, create job for others and ultimately, solve problems peculliar to their immediate communities in order to qualify for Anzisha Prize.
“I am a living witness and I am here to let them know they too can do it if I could do it then,”he said.
Also,another storyteller, Chris Kwekowe, 2015 Anzisha Prize winner of USD25,000 (N9,100,000) and Co Founder,Slatecube(a Digital Talent accelerator) urged students to prioritize entrepreneurship.
“ Entrepreneurs need scaleable team that will actually help them move from point zero to point one.
“For them to achieve that,they may have to work with other entrepreneurs with knowledge on how to actually run a business.
“There is need to develop talents that can help industries build their businesses, entrepreneurs should dig deep and remain steadfast with their ideas to fill such gap,” he said.
Some undergraduates who attended the session in Karu commended the idea.
Patrick Obi,a 400Level Student at BHU, Karu said “the programme is really interesting. I believe that entrepreneurship is the gateway for Africa to move forward.
“I believe Working for people or organisation after graduation doesn’t give enough progress to the society,”he concluded.
Similarly, Fikayo Odugbemi, another 400Level student of BHU,Karu,said `the session reignited my believe that entrepreneurship helps a nation to be sustainable.
“It looks scary but it worth going into. I look forward to becoming entrepreneur in the educational sector,”she said.
NAN reports that Tonje held a session with students of Bingham University,Karu,Nasarawa state on Monday while another session is slated for Tuesday with students of University of Lagos.
