Winners emerge in Channels TV’s Fund it Forward

After weeks of keenly contested competition, 29-year-old Valentine Okoli from Enugu State has emerged winner of Channels TV’s social enterprise programme, Fund it Forward Season 2. He smiled home with N30 million for his effort. The name of his business is Bach and Moen Limited.

Thirty-year-old Thara Aisha Atta from Kogi State was the first runner up. She got N15 million. The name of her business is High Collar Sustainable Solutions Limited, while 31-year old Ayodele Erinle, who hails from Abeokuta, Ogun State, came third. He got N10 million in the process. The name of his business is Agrify.

In his speech, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, said, “there exists a clear difference between innovators and entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs monetise their inventions. You can be an entrepreneur without being an innovator. But you can also be an innovator without being an entrepreneur. You can’t be passionate about finding solutions to societal issues and you are keen on how to monetise it. The reality is that for us to move forward, we need social entrepreneurs.

“There is no better way to support development of the nation than to support platforms such as this. What you have created today is a platform to raise social entrepreneurs that will help find solutions to our problems. We should encourage innovators to help find solutions to our problems. To leapfrog the development we all desire, we need programmes like Fund it Forward.”

Similarly, Chairman of Channels Media Group, John Momoh, acknowledged the attendees that graced the event.

Representative of Enugu State governor and Commissioner for Information, Aka Eze Aka, said this kind of programme would pass a massage that there is hope in Nigeria for the youths and they can make it in this country.

He added, “in Enugu State, we have about 40,000 people being trained to understand ICT and Artificial Intelligence.”

Expressing his appreciation, Okoli acknowledged management of Channels Media Group and his parents, adding that with the grant, he would do great things, export and expand. Fund it forward is a social enterprise competition organised by Channels Television.

Twelve change agents, who have early-stage businesses that directly or indirectly take on one or more of Nigeria’s social issues, were brought together across the country.

The overall intention of the show was to inspire and encourage social enterprise among young Nigerians.