U.S governmemt pledges support for young entrepreneurs in Nigeria

The United State Consulate Public Affairs Officer in Lagos, Russell Brooks, has restated U.S. government’s support for entrepreneurs in Nigeria towards the economic growth of the country.

Brooks spoke at the third edition of the conference for emerging entrepreneurs, organized by Fields of Skills and Dreams (FSD), a leading vocational technical training institute in collaboration with the public affairs section of the U.S consulate yesterday.He said the U.S. government believes that Nigerians, especially its young people, are the country’s greatest resource capable of producing a more prosperous future for the country that is less dependent on a single commodity.

About 105 participants were selected from a pool of over 5,000 vocational and technical and education graduates. They were grouped into four key entrepreneurship sectors – technology, agriculture, confectionery, and fashion/style. Brooks thanked the organisers for assembling an “outstanding group of mentors.”

Speaking at the event, Mr. Adeniji Kolawole, CEO of Niji Group, the largest producer of cassava in Africa, pledged his support to young entrepreneurs interested in agriculture. “The availability of money cannot make you break even in business. You need passion and consistency to make profit in agriculture. The mistake you should avoid is building houses or buying cars after making profit. A car or a house does not add to your success story if there is no reinvestment,” he said.

Also speaking, CEO of FSD, Omowale Ogunrinde, revealed that the institute has trained over 905 entrepreneurs across the country this year. “At the end of the training we have given out equipment worth over N100,000 to graduates for start-ups”.