The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) has initiated an entrepreneurship and empowerment programme for corps members, inaugurating with N500,000 for each of the three outstanding contestants.
Tagged the “Managing Director’s Annual NYSC Entrepreneurship Competition”, the programme involves contest for business plan among corps members serving in the organisation.
Three of the 15 members who contested in the maiden edition of the initiative, were presented cheques of N500,000 each at a ceremony held at AMCON’s office in Abuja.
They are Joanna Adamu (FC/21A/1265), Umar Gosta (FC/21A/1251) and Abdulsamad Usman (FC/21A/1046), whose proposals centered on online art and fashion business; poultry production; and technological innovation, respectively.
Speaking on the occasion, the Managing Director of AMCON, Ahmed Kuru noted the high rate of graduate unemployment and the need for stakeholders to work towards steering the mindset of the youths from that of seeking white collar jobs to that of entrepreneurial engagement.
He lauded the various empowerment programmes of the federal government and advocated for the incorporation of functional entrepreneurship training into the nation’s education curriculum.
According to him, AMCON initiated the entrepreneurship programme for corps members in appreciation of the invaluable contributions of NYSC to national development.
Kuru said the intervention began with the conduct of entrepreneurship training for the corps members with some members of staff volunteering as resource persons.
The Managing Director explained that the introduction of the business plan contest was aimed at providing funds to enable the winners actualize their business dreams and, in the process, contribute to the economic development of the country.
He further stated that aside the winners, many of the other competitors came up with excellent business ideas, adding that the latter group will also be supported with some tokens.
The MD expressed determination not only to sustain the programme, but also increase the number of winners in subsequent editions.
Kuru used the occasion to assure of AMCON’s readiness to go into broader partnership with NYSC in the area of entrepreneurship and empowerment.
The NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim said the scheme had been assiduous in the implementation of its Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development programme (SAED), adding that many ex-trainees of the programme were now owners of flourishing businesses.
He said corps members had enormous potentials for self-employment, but added that the challenge was always that of access to fund to actualize their business plans.
The Director-General said this informed the proposal for the establishment of NYSC Trust Fund, which would not only make the SAED training more functional, but also serve as sustainable source of funding for the Corps entrepreneurs.
Ibrahim thanked the AMCON Management for joining the leagues of partners supporting NYSC in the empowerment of Corps members, and assured that the Scheme would effectively partner the agency for the continued success of the new initiative.
He assured that the Scheme would strictly monitor the beneficiaries of the programme and provide feedback to AMCON on their business progress.
The Director-General congratulated the winners of the competition and enjoined them to make judicious utilization of the funds given to them.
Speaking on behalf of her colleagues, one of the winners, Adamu thanked AMCON for availing them of the opportunity for empowerment, which she described as life-changing.
She assured that they would justify the confidence reposed in them through judicious utilization of the funds.
