Yemisi Izuora
The Seplat Energy Joint Venture, JV, is stepping up its Entrepreneurship Fellowship Programme which aims at developing participants’ leadership skills, social entrepreneurship, and business management abilities.
The firm is doing this through customized and targeted capacity building workshops.
In addition, the beneficiaries’ ability to action their ideas is supported through equipment funding and mentoring.
On April 3, the company held a special event to celebrate the past beneficiaries (Fellows) of the programme, which began in 2019; also used the occasion to reaffirm the company’s commitment with another ₦16.5 million funding in seed money to the Programmes partners, Conversation for Change (C4C).
In her opening remarks, the Director of External Affairs & Sustainability, Seplat Energy, Dr. Chioma Nwachuku, noted that through the Seplat JV/C4C partnership, the company has successfully trained and supported three batches of fellows, comprising about 55 young entrepreneurs, who are thriving, creating value and boosting Nigeria’s economy.
“Each beneficiary has shown resilience, creativity and innovation through the duration of the yearly programme and has now become our proof that we could truly make Nigeria better by investing in the youth population,” she said.
A Lecture themed: ‘Unleashing Nigeria’s untapped Potential through Entrepreneurship and Sustainability’ was delivered to the Fellows to commemorate the auspicious occasion. The well-received Lecture by Ms. Arunma Oteh, a former Independent Non-Executive Director of Seplat Energy Plc, and Scholar at Said Business School, University of Oxford, was to build more capacity and further equip the entrepreneurs.
Ms. Oteh commended Seplat Energy JV and its partner, C4C, for their strong commitment to youth empowerment in Nigeria, stating that their activities have helped reduce unemployment and ameliorate the poverty level and have also contributed to economic growth and prosperity in the country. She further asserted that: “Seplat Energy’s approach to sustainability has put the company on a very high pedestal amongst its peers, thus making the company a reference point in Nigeria and internationally.”
Also present at the event was Bello Rabiu, an Independent Non-Executive Director and member of the Sustainability Committee of the Seplat Energy Board, who restated the company’s continuous commitment to encouraging and supporting entrepreneurship in Nigeria. He noted that youth entrepreneurs are major change catalysts in any economy and all hands must be on deck in the quest to empower them and, therefore, reduce unemployment in Nigeria.
The event witnessed an impressive exhibition of various products made by the young entrepreneurs, whose small-scale enterprises include but not limited to upcycling of waste, agribusiness, beauty and skincare, among others.
Since 2019, Seplat Energy and C4C have collaborated, to ensure that the lives of young Nigerians are improved by supporting them to start and sustain their business enterprises. From the selection process to the intensive face-to-face training on key management aspects of business, participation in internship trainings with credible companies in various areas of vocation and the support provided to each of their businesses, these activities of the fellowship programme have produced innovative and well equipped young social entrepreneurs, ready to take on the world of business and succeed.
The President of C4C, Dr Kechi Ogbuagu affirms that with the collaboration of Seplat Energy and her Partners, the goal of supporting youth entrepreneurs in Nigeria has received a huge boost, thus aiding a better future for the country.
Seplat Energy has notable social programmes anchored on the pillars of Health, Education, Infrastructural Development and Economic Empowerment and geared towards supporting the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The Entrepreneurship Fellowship Programme supports SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth and fulfils the company’s drive towards galvanizing an entrepreneurship movement amongst many more young people in Nigeria to boost economic growth.