Aganga lauds EDC, Coca-Cola, Diamond Bank on entrepreneurship development

THE Enterprise Development Centre (EDC), an arm of the Pan Atlantic University, has been commended for leading the way in entrepreneurial development in Nigeria and Africa.

  The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga, gave this commendation recently at the formal inauguration of the EDC’s purpose-built learning complex in Lagos.

  The Minister, who was the guest of honour at the event, said that by focusing on developing the capacity of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME), the EDC is helping to build the foundations for sustainable economic development for Nigeria. He commended the institution’s tradition of excellence and service , which he said earned it recognition and confidence among international institutions and development agencies.

Aganga acknowledged that the EDC’s giant strides over the past 12 years could not have been possible without the generous support by its longstanding partners, especially Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited and Diamond Bank Plc. He noted that both organizations have always stood out for their impactful contributions to entrepreneurship development and that it was not surprising that they were among the sponsors of the new EDC building.

 In a goodwill message at the event, the Managing Director of Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, Mr Adeola Adetunji, commended the faculty and staffers of the EDC for the remarkable achievements of the institution in its 12-year history.

 “The MSME sector holds a special significance for us at Coca-Cola; it is the pivot of our business – a vast majority of our suppliers, distributors and retailers belong to this sector”, said Adetunji. “Our longstanding partnership with the EDC is one of the many ways in which Coca-Cola is helping to promote entrepreneurship development in the country, and we remain committed to this partnership and to promoting sustainable development in Nigeria”.

  The Director of the Enterprise Development Centre, Mr. Peter Bamkole paid glowing tribute to the students and the EDC Alumni whose contributions to the building fund, he said, would make interesting case studies in sacrificial giving. He thanked Coca-Cola and Diamond Bank, in particular, for they very generous contributions that helped to make the EDC complex a reality.

  Coca-Cola Nigeria is the sponsor of the stately cafeteria in the EDC complex, which will be known as the Coca-Cola Cafeteria, while Diamond Bank sponsored the main state-of-the-art lecture room, both of which are among the key features of the complex.

 The event climaxed with the cutting of the tape by the minister to formally inaugurate the building, which was followed by a facility tour of the complex by the guests that attended the ceremony.