Swedish group boosts Nigeria’s entrepreneurship drive with N10m

Worried by the growing unemployment rate among Nigerian Youths, Itzinya Entrepreneurship conglomerate of Sweden has opened its first start-up Academy in Abuja with a takeoff grant of N10 million.

The fund is aimed at training and empowering the youths to start their own businesses.The academy would also collaborate with the Youth With Innovation [YOUWIN] and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Anchor borrowers scheme to further support its graduates financially.

Chief Executive Officer of Itzinya Nigeria, Manpan Joseph Wungak told journalists in Abuja that it was time for all and sundry to assist government to create jobs for the youths to check insecurity in the country.

Itzinya Nigeria is a subsidiary of Itzinya Entrepreneurship Organization of Sweden, which aims to teach young Nigerian Entrepreneurs the right business models, develop their skills and grow their business by assisting them financially and connecting them with international business conglomerates.

“We are planning to collaborate with the Federal Government’s YOUWIN and Anchor Borrowers’ programmes to empower our graduates after the training. We have already approached the Ministry of Youths and Sports Development for collaboration to assist our graduates to grow and sustain their businesses and employ others,” Wungak said.

One of the facilitators from Sweden, Hakan Sandberg said that the academy has come to help Nigerian youths to learn, grow and connect their entrepreneurial skills with other strong businesses across the world.

“Here in the academy, we bring them together and create value to start-up sustainable businesses. We also train them to look beyond lack of infrastructure and dig deep and come up with new ideas of becoming successful entrepreneurs,” he saidf.

Another facilitator of the programme, Shadrack Baka said so far, over 45 youths have successfully passed through the Academy’s three-month training programme even as they have already been connected with business partners within and outside the country for further mentor ship.