SELF STARTERS NIGERIA

Heritage Bank Limited says it has collaborated with the Nigerian Young Professionals Forum to intensify its support for young entrepreneurs with N50m under the Young Entrepreneurs and Students Grant Scheme. In a statement on Monday, the lender said the grant was awarded to about 35 young entrepreneurs from sectors spanning agriculture, creativity and Information and Communications Technology. It said the awards followed a rigorous and transparent review process conducted by an independent body. It noted that tens of thousands entrepreneurs applied for the grant. The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Heritage Bank, Mr. Ifie Sekibo, while speaking at the YESGrant award ceremony in Lagos, stressed that the move would enhance the growth of small businesses in the country. Sekibo, who was represented by the Divisional Head, Retail/SME, Mrs. Ori Ogba, stated that the bank supported the initiative because of its belief in Nigerian youths, making up about 80 per cent of the countr...

The winner of the  2015 Global Students Entrepreneurs Award and Chief Executive Officer of Amborion Events & Media Global, producers of the Ambassadors Radio Show,  Joshua Oyeniyi, 29, talks about his work in this interview. Can you give a brief background of yourself? I am a media entrepreneur and the host of the Ambassadors Radio Show on UNILAG FM.  I am the founder of the Ambassadors Youth Empowerment Initiative, a social enterprise committed to reducing youth unemployment, encouraging entrepreneurship, inspiring and motivating youths to succeed. How did it all start? In 2013, I started business with less than N200 which I used to buy a pen and paper to write a proposal to the management of UNILAG FM to start a talk show that will celebrate achievements of Africans in Nigeria and the diaspora, as well as inspire youths. After three months of consistent pushing, the proposal was approved and I officially started in October 2013. In 15 months, I was able to grow...

Payant is a web-based invoicing software that helps freelancers, small, medium and large businesses to create beautiful invoices, automatically send payment reminders and lets them accept instant payments faster online. Beyond invoicing, it is also a payment gateway for websites and mobile application developers to accept instant online payments from their users directly from their applications. Features Payant is designed to make invoicing and accepting payments super fast and easy. You don’t need a developer to start accepting online payment. Quick Invoicing: Create and send beautiful invoices within minutes. Get Paid Around the World: Grow your business, go global and get paid by anyone, anywhere and anytime online using credit and debit cards. Automated Reminders: Send friendly reminders to your customers and get paid on time. Instant Bank Settlement: Get credited into your bank account the minute you get paid. Dashboard: See and manage every payment, customer, invoice...

The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) has announced acceptance of applications for the 2017  edition of the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Program (TEEP).  The application is open to African entrepreneurs with transformative business ideas. The Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme (TEEP) will avail the entrepreneurs with a 12-week intensive training session, mentoring and non-returnable seed capital of $5,000 and access to a $5,000 convertible loan 1,000 entrepreneurs will be selected based on the viability of their idea, including: market opportunity; financial understanding; scalability; leadership and entrepreneurial skills demonstrated in the application. Eligible businesses must be based in Africa, for profit, 0-3 years’ old, applicant must be at least 18 and a legal resident or citizen of an African. Women, French, Arabic and Portuguese speakers and those with business ideas from every region across Africa are also encouraged to apply. Application is already open...

An excerpt from an article written by Arinze Onebunne of Jovana Farms Mushroom farming is my passion; it connects me to my childhood. When I was young, I hunted mushroom as a source of protein for the family. Now I have turned that passion into a commercial enterprise. Nowadays, I cultivate mushroom in my backyard for profit. Beginning with few mushroom spawns, I’m using organic methods to produce mushroom for individuals and hotels. The farm has for sale large quantities of Mushroom seeds, fresh/dried mushroom ready for consumption, spraying equipment for mushroom cultivation, pure oyster shell and lime, polythene sheets, treated sawdust, sterilised compost and inoculated mushroom bags for farmers, etc. Many opportunities abound in the production of mushrooms as many hospitality industries in the country still import the product to add to their meals. Majority of big hotels in Nigeria have mushrooms in their daily menu, but this mushroom came from abroad; this means local produ...