Adopt Counter-cultural Mindset, Minister Urges Entrepreneurs

Emma Okonji

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah has charged Nigerian entrepreneurs to adopt a counter-cultural mindset in order to become successful business gladiators.

Enelamah who gave the advice during an interaractive session with the delegates of the 2nd Ausso Leadership Academy (ALA) masterclass at the entrepreneurs’ hub in Lagos recently,
said the counter-cultural mindset was call to excellence despite any seeming culture of mediocrity within the Nigerian business clime. He encouraged the delegates to adopt an olympic mindset and prepares to play on the global stage as well as cultivate a deep understanding of their local space.

Speaking at the event, Founder, Ausso Leadership Academy, and Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Columbia Business School, Mr. Austin Okere, thanked the minister for honouring the call to mentor the entrepreneurs and business leaders at the academy. He noted that the session had been instrumental in providing insightful details about the activities of the government.

“Honourable Minister, we are pleased that you have honoured the invitation to share your experience to motivate the delegates to aspire to greater heights. Today, you have reinforced the recurring mantra from other champions at ALA that you can be excellent and successful,” Okere said. The minister also commended the Founder for providing a world class facility as a veritable medium to mentor entrepreneurs to optimize job creation and enable shared prosperity.

Speaking on behalf of the delegates, the class President, Amina Deji Logun-Leko thanked the minister for coming to share his experience with the class. She encouraged the Federal Government to prioritise such interactive engagements in order to regularly update stakeholders of government’s efforts and the role that the business community can play in the process.

Enelamah who shared other guiding principles with the delegates, encouraged them to always bring out the entrepreneurial spirit in them when carrying out any business assignment and never to rest on their oars in order to have a deep understanding of the market, discover their competitive advantage and possess clarity on their vision.

He also spoke on the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (EGRP) of the federal government, a plan that was developed to restore economic growth while leveraging the ingenuity and resilience of the Nigerian people. According to the minister, the plan has been articulated by the government with an understanding of the role of government as an enabler of growth, in the 21st century.

The ALA Masterclass is a bespoke programme designed to impact entrepreneurs and business professionals via a learning experience in a very conducive physical ambience, coupled with teachings delivered by a faculty with proven experience and an enviable track record in business and entrepreneurship.