Youth Entrepreneurial Dialogue Harps on Innovation, Sustainability

Mary Nnah

To make greater inroads in the world of entrepreneurship and compete favorably like their peers in other countries, Nigerian youth have been advised to embrace innovation and sustainability.

This charge was given at the 2024 Youth Entrepreneurial Dialogue (YED), themed “Entrepreneurship for Everyone: Empowering Youth to Shape a Sustainable Future powered by Enterprise Development Centre, Pan-Atlantic University yesterday.

Speaking at the dialogue, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the Pan-Atlantic University, Dr. Peter Bamkole called on the Nigerian youth to see innovation and sustainability as the soul of entrepreneurship and embrace wholeheartedly.

“Innovation is key and very vital to the growth and advancement of entrepreneurship. Startups must be able see these as key ingredients to survival,” he added.

Strategy and Business Development Lead at Providus Bank, Damilola Feyide highlighted the importance of innovation in business said that “Providus Bank was genuinely interested in grooming new generation entrepreneur through road to market, access to finance and mentoring, which it was doing in collaboration with EDC and GEN Nigeria .”
As the themed emphasis, this dialogue is important because it will highlight essential steps for startups towards making a greater impact in the communities rather than profiteering. “We believe that innovation and sustainability are very essential to the survival of small businesses,” she said.

The highlight of the event was the pitch competition, where EDVEEN Edible Cup emerged as the winner, marking it the first time a male entrepreneur took home the top prize—a symbolic achievement coinciding with International Men’s Day.

The Youth Entrepreneurial Dialogue would not have been possible without the support of its partners, including The Zone, Enterprise Development Center, Providus Bank, Tripoint Academy, and Bluerock Accelerate. Their commitment to empowering youth and supporting entrepreneurial ecosystems underscored the event’s success.

The dialogue served as a platform to inspire creativity, foster collaboration, and drive impactful change within Nigeria’s entrepreneurial community. The Youth Entrepreneurial Dialogue 2024 reaffirms its commitment to equipping young innovators with the tools and networks they need to shape a sustainable future.