150 Nigerian Entrepreneurs for GEC+Africa in Cape Town

Mary  Nnah

No fewer than 150 entrepreneurs from Nigeria will be attending the 2024 Global Entrepreneurship Congress Africa (GEC+Africa) event in Cape Town, South Africa with sponsorship by GEN Nigeria, a leading organisation in Nigeria committed to promoting entrepreneurship and nurturing the next generation of innovative leaders.  

The disclosure was made in Lagos recently during the GEC+Africa Lead Up event organised by GEN Nigeria, themed ‘Connecting Africa: Strides in the Nigeria Entrepreneurship Ecosystem’.

 The keynote speaker at the event was the managing director/chief executive officer of the CEO of Bank of Industry, Olukayode Pitan represented by Mr. Obaru Osah.

The event was attended by officials of Providus Bank, Bank of Industry (BOI), GEC+Africa and some Nigerian entrepreneurs.

Apart from the 150 Nigerian delegates billed to attend the event on March 14th, 2024, 15 entrepreneurs from the various African countries’ delegations will be pitching for a seed fund of $100,000.

Speaking at the event, Dr. Olawale Anifowose, Managing Director at GEN Nigeria said, “The GEC+Africa Lead Up Event serves as a dynamic platform that showcases the finest elements of successful entrepreneurial ecosystems on the continent. 

It aims to foster collaboration, knowledge sharing, and networking opportunities, propelling African entrepreneurs to new heights of success.”

Anifowose, who spoke on the role GEN Nigeria is playing at the event said, “At the heart of this event is the instrumental role played by GEN Nigeria. As a strategic partner for GEC+Africa 2024, GEN Nigeria is actively contributing to the facilitation of global opportunities for 150 Nigerian entrepreneurs”, adding, “This lead-up event in Nigeria marks the beginning of a remarkable journey towards empowering and enriching the entrepreneurial landscape in the country.”

“We are immensely proud to be a part of the GEC+Africa Lead Up Event, as it aligns perfectly with our vision of fostering a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in Nigeria.

“We aim to provide Nigerian entrepreneurs with the tools, knowledge, and connections they need to succeed, while also showcasing the immense potential of our entrepreneurial community on a global stage,” he said.

Furthermore, the Project Lead of GEC+Africa, Mrs Carmen Rossouw, said that “There is a need for Africa to build platforms that promote a stronger and better entrepreneurial ecosystem where entrepreneurs in Africa can share ideas, discuss common issues and give access for networking.

“The aim is to discuss issues about the growth of Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The idea is to converge and discuss issues such as access to finance, cross-border market access, taxation, technology and regulation. A peer review could be a catalyst we need in Africa to catapult our Small and Media Enterprises (SMEs) sector.”