Heritage Bank earmarks N500m grant for small-scale industries

As part of its support for entrepreneurship and small-scale industries in the country, Heritage Bank Limited, has unveiled N500 million Young Entrepreneurs and Students (YES) grant for the real sector.The initiative, which is in partnership with the Nigerian Youth Professional Forum (NYPF), will, according to the bank, support students and young entrepreneurs towards socio-economic freedom.

Heritage Bank’s Managing Director, Ifie Sekibo, explained that the bank’s support for the programme arises from the fact that the initiative aligns with the vision of the bank which is to help create, preserve and transfer wealth across generations.

Sekibo, who was represented by the Group Head, Market Strategy, Obioma Emenike, added that the bank will also support the project in terms of training the beneficiaries, disbursement of the grant as well as in the monitoring and evaluation of the project’s milestones as agreed with the beneficiaries.

“We have been playing strongly in the education and Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SME) sectors of the economy. This project syncs with our mission and vision as a bank. The age bracket of 18 to 40years for the beneficiaries also aligns with our corporate goal, just like the key sectors which include agriculture, ICT and creative industry, identified for the project are pivotal for economic growth” he said.

The NYPF, according to its Chairman, Moses Siasia, is a non-governmental organization conceived by a group of young professionals with the mission to promote innovative ideas for socio-economic development.

Siasia disclosed that the programme is geared toward assisting both aspiring and existing young entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses, and ultimately create jobs and distribute wealth in the economy.

For the students, the grant can be accessed for tuition fees to help low-income students and technological research and innovation.
Students in Nigeria can access up to N500,000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira) only; students in the United Kingdom can access up to GBP 3000 (Three Thousand Pounds while Students in the United States can access up to $5,000 (Five Thousand Dollars).

For young entrepreneurs, the grant will be available for the following target sectors: Agriculture, Creative Industry, Information and Communication Technology.