President of Ugwumba Centre for Leadership Development in Africa (UCLDA), Uche Nwosu, has urged the Federal Government to give more support to young Nigerians with innovations and business ideas to actualise them.
Nwosu gave the advice yesterday (Tuesday, December 3) in Abuja, during the 2024 Ugwumba Enterprise Challenge (UEC), an annual business pitching and grant competition for young entrepreneurs in Nigeria.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the programme was organised by the centre to reduce the rate of unemployment by promoting innovations, job creation and economic development in the country.
Nwosu said that although the government is doing several things to support young entrepreneurs, it needs to do more.
“Nigerian youths are not lazy; they are rather the most talented in Africa. What they need is a little push and mentorship.
“You find out that when we advertised for this UEC challenge, 1,700 young people applied but we have only 10 we are going to empower.
“So, look at 1,700 young Nigerians with business ideas who are ready to work, saying please give me N500,000. I want to start this business idea.
“So, my plea goes to the federal government to find a way of coming to the aid of these young Nigerians,’’ he said.
Nwosu also urged the government to collaborate with private organisations, especially NGOs, in ensuring that money budgeted for such initiatives get to those who needt, without being shortchanged.
He described UEC as the centre’s little way of showing support to young entrepreneurs and the government.
Nwosu said that the centre has supported more than 7,000 SMEs and established young entrepreneurs in the country.
He said that his motivation for the initiative was the challenge of life that he went through.
“I went through a life from grass to grace, where I was in the streets hawking, selling ice water, selling corn, selling oranges, selling mangoes and coming to where I am now.
“I told my God that since you have blessed me, there is the need to impact the lives of those people on the streets and those graduates who, after graduating from school, can’t find jobs.
“So what we’re doing is to encourage young entrepreneurs and encourage rural dwellers,’’ Nwosu, a former APC governorship candidate in Imo, said.
He added that he was also being motivated by the success story of the programme since its inception in 2018.
Nwosu said some of the young Nigerians who passed through the programme had become employers of labour, helping the centre to achieve one of its major objectives, which was reducing youth unemployment in the country.
“In fact, most of our winners are employers of labour. I know of some of them who brought their products and told us their ideas. And by the special grace of God, they won.
“Today, some of them export their products outside the country. Some of them export their diffusers to Ghana, Liberia, and the U.S.
“I know some of them who are into recycling, using condemned tyres and recycling them to do tables,” he said.
Nwosu said that apart from the prize for the winners of the 2024 UEC challenge, the centre would also be supporting 200 grassroots women across the country with the sum of N200,000 each to enable them expand their businesses.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Joseph Orya emerged winner of the 2024 UEC, with the grand prize of N2 million, while Blessing Ebere came second with N1 million prize.
The third runner up also went home with N500,000, while there were other prizes for those from sixth to 10th positions.
