Young Professionals To Hold Summit On Entrepreneurship Beyond Oil In Niger Delta

All is now set for the 3rd Edition of the Niger Delta MSME Summit, the Niger Delta Young Professionals (NDYP), the organizers have announced.

According to the organizers, the Summit which is slated to hold on August 12, 2023, a date which also coincides with the International Youth Day, will be held at the Conference Hall, Fourpoint By Sheraton Hotel, Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, South South, Nigeria.

The event, the organizers says, is a sustained initiative that has been creating enormous opportunities and growth for young MSME owners in the region.

With this year’s theme: ‘Building the Culture of Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness Beyond Oil’, the NDYP says the summit will bring about opportunities from various Agencies and International Organizations.

Convener of the Niger Delta MSME Summit, Mr Moses Siloko Siasia, in a statement made available to newsmen, noted that despite lack of support from government, poor management of MSMEs, high-interest loans from banks, corruption, and inadequate infrastructure, the initiative has made sustainable impacts over the years.

To bridge this gap, he said the organizers of the Niger Delta MSME Summit are desirous to enable MSMEs achieve growth and address the persistent problems of unemployment, crimes, and other vices in the oil-rich region.

The beneficiaries of past editions, many of whom have received grants to grow their businesses, have been able to grow a huge business capital and create employment opportunities for other prospective MSMEs. At the inaugural edition of the Summit held in 2021 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, over 400 Niger Deltans benefited from the NIRSAL Intervention Loan for small business owners in the area of Agriculture. Also the NDYP gave out grants to innovative businesses.

Mr Siasia reiterated that there are clear pieces of evidence that crude oil will not be the driver of economic growth in the future, hence, the need to focus on emerging areas with new opportunities and potentials like Agriculture, Renewable Energy, Information Technology, and the knowledge-driven economy where MSMEs can thrive and provide enabling platforms for prosperity and sustainable development.

This year’s event will feature Product Exhibitions, Grants, Main-stage keynotes, Panel discussions, Interactive master sessions, Style breakout, Business-to-Business meetings, Mentoring sessions, Networking opportunities featuring outstanding line-up of successful Entrepreneurs, Innovators, Strategists and Business Leaders from top brands.

Participants according to the organizers, are expected to be between the ages of 20 – 45 years. Participation will be strictly by registration.

Participants can register by clicking on: https://forms.gle/9oqhmKW3Go7eGyMh7

At the 2nd Edition of the Summit held in Asaba, Delta State in February last year, stakeholders tasked state governments in the region to make indelible investments in building human capacity and creating enabling platforms for entrepreneurship development.