By Ewache Ajefu
The Federal Government has announced the names of 1200 young female entrepreneurs who have emerged winners of the 2nd cycle of the Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria (YouWiN) business plans competition.
YouWiN National Coordinator, Dr. Supo Olusi, who disclosed this to journalists at an interactive session in Abuja, said, the 1200 winners, who are from all the 6 geopolitical zones, emerged from out of an initial 65,000 who applied. They were also among the 6,000 who made the initial cut and went through a rigorous process that entailed two legs of entrepreneurial training and submissions of business plans based on which they were adjudged eventual winners. The exercise was supervised by the Enterprise Centre of the Pan African University.
It may be recalled that the Federal Government had dedicated the second cycle of the competition to young Nigerian businesswomen in a bid to boost their entrepreneurial profile and thereby empowering them to be business owners who are as well able to cater to the other aspects of their family lives.
Dr. Olusi, commending the winners, attributed their success to dedication and commitment. “I am convinced”, he said, “that this crop of young Nigerian women would do their gender proud”.
They would also do Nigeria proud and I am sure they will, through the many jobs they create, help this administration achieve its vision of bringing down the rate of unemployment in Nigeria”.
YouWiN which was launched on October 11, 2011 by President Goodluck Jonathan, is designed to help identify young Nigerian entrepreneurs with bankable businesses or business ideas. Designed to produce 1200 winners per cycle, these winners are then given sizable grants (some up to N10million) by the Federal Government to enable them either strengthen or set up their own businesses.
These businesses, it is hoped, would help bring down the numbers of Nigeria’s unemployed while also ensuring that Nigerian businesses apply world class standards to their operations.
