British Council, an organisation that creates international opportunities and as part of its continued commitment to the development of Nigerian youths, has through its partnership with Virgin Atlantic Airways and Zenith Bank presented N3 million prize money to two Nigerian youths who excelled in an enterprise challenge.
The enterprise challenge is an online competition that seeks to give young, brilliant entrepreneurial minds the opportunity to further develop their skills in this area and bring their innovative ideas to the fore for possible future development.
Louisa Waddingham, director of programme, British Council, while speaking at the cheques presentation ceremony in Lagos, said a total of 10 finalists (Nigerians based in the UK and at home) battled for the top two spots in the course of the competition.
Adetomi Soyinka, regional manager, Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan, British Council, while commenting on the competition, pointed out that among the traits of any person ready to succeed as an entrepreneur must include hard work, self confidence, goal-oriented and persistent, committed and demonstration of initiative that the judges looked out for in the entries they access before arriving at the two winners.
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Soyinka disclosed that at the end of the selection process, Eseoghene Ise Odiet, an award winning young female fashion entrepreneur and the brain behind Hesey Designs (an African inspired accessories label), and Nasir Yammama, a creative technology postgraduate degree holder from Middlesex University in London, emerged winners.
She further inform that aside the business support grant of N1.5 million for each individual, they were also involved in a five-day entrepreneurship foundation course at the Branson Centre for Entrepreneurship in South Africa.
Part of the incentive for the winners also includes an opportunity to meet with and be mentored by Richard Branson, one of UK’s foremost entrepreneurs and chairman of the Virgin Group.
As a UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations, the British Council and the programme partners have committed to run another cycle of the competition in second quarter of 2015. The 2015 competition will be open to Nigerians domiciled in Nigeria who fall within 18 to 35 year age bracket.
KELECHI EWUZIE
