The Directorate of Entrepreneurship and General Studies (DE&GS), National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), in partnership with the Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria (YouWiN), have held a 1-day sensitisation programme for students of the university on entrepreneurship.
The DE&GS North-central Incubation Centre, situated at the Abuja Model Study Centre, Dutse Alhaji, hosted the programme on Wednesday, August 31, 2022, which was sponsored by the Ministry of Finance.
It was aimed at giving leverage to NOUN students with entrepreneurial ideas and students who have been able to start up a business for themselves.
YouWiN, a department of the ministry, promotes entrepreneurship as a viable career option for young Nigerians, by giving grants to entrepreneurs to help them expand their businesses.
The host, who is also the North-central Incubation Centre coordinator, Dr. Basil Ibebunjo, expressed appreciation for the large turn out of the incubatees, enjoining them to be attentive in order to gain knowledge from the sensitisation programme.
On her part, the DE&GS Director, Prof. Juliet Inegbedion, gave her presentation via zoom, where she stated that NOUN is an institution with great passion for students’ entrepreneurship.
Inegbedion, requested that going by NOUN mode of operation, a wider spread to reach all NOUN students especially all the incubatees beyond Abuja metropolis be considered.
She called on the ministry to assist in improving the infrastructures in the incubation centers across the six geo-political zones, both the physical and the virtual.
“Our major area in the student entrepreneurship development, is the prototyping of ideas, NOUN have incubates with great ideas, but we are still struggling with the prototyping mechanism for lack of manpower and right infrastructure,” she said.
She, therefore, called for a training to be organised on how to prototype creative ideas, provide soft copies of the distributed books made available for NOUN students and also requested for permission to put the soft copies on NOUN virtual incubation center platform.
Earlier, while giving his welcome address, the chief host of the programme and Director, Abuja Model Study Centre, Prof. Sammi Ayodele, reiterated the importance of entrepreneurship, and urged the students to pay keen attention and enjoy the programme put together for them.
Mrs. Fuki Daniels, the facilitator and resource person for YouWiN, during her presentation, engaged students with encouraging words on creating their own businesses and becoming employers of labour, thereby reducing unemployment in Nigeria rather than waiting for white-collar jobs.
“YouWiN is counting on entrepreneurs to reduce unemployment in Nigeria,” she said.
While enlightening the students about the programme, she stated the criteria required for them to be able to get grants from YouWiN, noting that a good business proposal and the right business could earn them a grant.
Daniels said the programme was meant for students and corps members, stating that only fashion design, ICT and manufacturing are the businesses supported by YouWiN.
Present at the programme were the Director, Special Study Centre, NURTW, Garki, represented by the Principal Assistant Registrar of the centre, Mr. Olawale Abass, the Deputy Director, DE&GS, Dr. Miriam Ohadiugha, host and zonal coordinator, Abuja, Dr. Basil Ibebunjo and anchor of the event and Chief Counsellor, Abuja Model Study Centre, Mr. Kingsley Arogunyo.
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