Niger Delta governors urged to develop framework guiding aspiring business minds
Governors in all the Niger Delta states have been urged to come up with framework that would guide and support aspiring and intelligent business minds in the region. The Chairman, Nigerian Young Professionals Forum (NYPF), Mr Moses Siasia, made the call during the 3rd edition of the Niger Delta Micro, Small and Medium Entreprises Summit in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State. Siasia said the framework was necessary as the world is moving from hydrocarbons to entrepreneurship. He also urged the youth, especially those in the Niger Delta, to look beyond oil and delve into entrepreneurial development, saying that, that would be the order of the day in the near future. According to him, "We want our young people who are entrepreneurs to understand that the future is theirs, and that the future is entrepreneurship. The world today is diverting from hydrocarbons. We are talking about the energy transition and climate change. These are where world interests are driving us, so we must conform to modern realities. This is why we are doing this: to reshape the entrepreneurial culture in the region. "We want governments in the Niger Delta region to develop a framework that would guide and support aspiring and intelligent business minds in the area." Siasia, who was the convener of the summit, also encouraged the youths to consider using Social Media to promote their brands and businesses, rather than jumping on it as a tool to abuse political office holders, even as he empowered selected small and medium-scale businesses with a sum of N500,000 in grants to support and increase the capacities of their businesses. He also lauded the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for supporting young entrepreneurs in the region. The Guest Speaker, Ebimoboere Enyiekpemi, whose lecture was anchored on "Entrepreneur Beyond Oil," harped on the need for a return to Agriculture and urged the youths in the region to tap into the benefits. In a goodwill message, Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Brig. Gen Barry Ndiomu, charged youths to rise above entitlement mentality to set the stage for success.