Global Entrepreneurship Network for Nigeria Impacts Over 2,000 MSMEs 

Global Entrepreneurship Network for Nigeria celebrated the 2022 Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) Award ceremony in Lagos with young entrepreneurs awarded cash prizes and given an assurance of quality support to sustain and develop their businesses.

In a remark by the Managing Director, Global Entrepreneurship Network for Nigeria, Dr. Olawale Anifowoshe, he said the annual event is organised to energise the youth of Nigeria in businesses as it has a proven record of impacting startups to launch their business ideas and be more visible in the business ecosystem. 

He said, “In over four years the centre has impacted over 2,000 MSMEs and is willing to continue to support young entrepreneurs in the country as access to quality support service and the lack of accessible information has hampered young businesses to thrive.”

Anifowoshe asserts that young entrepreneurs on board are given access to obtain a loan through their partnership with the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) to scale up and also, to have a support system for accelerated development and expansion with the right perception of being a global brand in their businesses. 

While expressing optimism over the forthcoming Entrepreneurship World Cup, he explained that “Nigeria has been doing well at the global stage but has come short to win the top prize, one of the things we aspire for is that we will be able to make a positive impact to bring the prize home this time around. As this set of finalists for the award ceremony would be able to compete at the very competitive selection process to represent Nigeria as it was tough to select the GEW Nigeria awards ceremony winners due to the criteria set by the global team.”

The Entrepreneurship World Cup 2022 first prize winner “My Food Angels” won the grand prize of N500,000 with a $100,000 in-kind support from Google, Amazon Web Services, and Meta and as well will be competing at the global stage of the Entrepreneurship World Cup. 

Other winners include Creamson Technology, N300,000 First runner up, Mystash Inc, N200,000as the second runner up while the Youth Entrepreneurship Dialogue Pitching Competition winner includes Etti Farms Global Ltd clinching the grand prize of N250,000,  Haqquman Farms, the runner up with a cash prize of N150,000. 

Yearly, 10 finalists with 500 young entrepreneurs are given a platform to come on board and learn about business strategy and development with adequate support on transforming their businesses to thrive in a fast-paced technology-driven world.

The Deputy Director Enterprise Development Centre, Pan-Atlantic University, Nneka Okekearu, lauded the Developments Bank of Nigeria (DBN) and Providus Bank for their collaborative effort in providing seed grants for start-ups and young entrepreneurs in Nigeria while urging the grand prize winner to go on and make Nigeria proud at the global Entrepreneurship World Cup of the competition.