Business
MasterCard Foundation Partners EDC to Train and Create 200,000 Jobs
MasterCard Foundation Partners EDC to Train and Create 200,000 Jobs
L-R, Beneficiaries Of Transformation of Nigerian Youths, Tobi Aminu, ( Nouvelle Foods) Amanda Omiachi, (ACHE Footwear), Director Enterprise Development Center, of PAN Atlantic University, Peter Bamkole, Roseline Adebayo, ( Flourish Land Entertainment) Rebecca Jan, (Becky James Fashion World) at the Media Briefing on Transforming Nigerian Youths organised by Enterprise Development Center (EDC) and Master Card Foundation in Lagos on Monday 11th October 2021,
L-R, Beneficiaries Of Transformation of Nigerian Youths, Amanda Omiachi, (ACHE Footwear),Tobi Aminu, ( Nouvelle Foods) Country Head, Master Card Foundation, Chidinma Lawanson, Director Enterprise Development Center, of PAN Atlantic University, Peter Bamkole, Rebecca Jan, (Becky James Fashion World) Roseline Adebayo, ( Flourish Land Entertainment) at the Media Briefing on Transforming Nigerian Youths organised by Enterprise Development Center (EDC) of PAN Atlantic University and Master Card Foundation in Lagos on Monday 11th October 2021
L-R, Lagos Deputy Director NYSC, Rachel Edewor, Executive Secretary, Lagos state Employment Trust Fund, Tejumola Abisoye, Country Head Master Card Foundation, Chidinma Lawanson, Director Enterprise Development Center, (EDC) of PAN Atlantic University, Peter Bamkole, Lagos state Coordinator NDE, Serena Olayeri – Edeward, at the Media Briefing on Transforming Nigerian Youths, organised by Enterprise Development Center (EDC) of Pan Atlantic University and Master Card Foundation, in Lagos on Monday 11th October 2021
(2), L-R, Executive Secretary, Lagos state Employment Trust Fund, Tejumola Abisoye, Country Head Master Card Foundation, Chidinma Lawanson, Director Enterprise Development Center, (EDC) of PAN Atlantic University, Peter Bamkole, at the Media Briefing on Transforming Nigerian Youths, organised by Enterprise Development Center (EDC) of Pan Atlantic University and Master Card Foundation, in Lagos on Monday 11th October 2021
L-R, Executive Secretary, Lagos state Employment Trust Fund, Tejumola Abisoye, Country Head Master Card Foundation, Chidinma Lawanson, Director Enterprise Development Center, (EDC) of PAN Atlantic University, Peter Bamkole, Lagos state Coordinator NDE, Serena Olayeri – Edeward, at the Media Briefing on Transforming Nigerian Youths, organised by Enterprise Development Center (EDC) of Pan Atlantic University and Master Card Foundation, in Lagos on Monday 11th October 2021
…Releases website to register
AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM
SPONSORED BY: H&H
In bridging unemployment gap among the youth, Mastercard Foundation in collaboration with Enterprise Development Centre (EDC), since last year has commenced training of Nigerian youths with a view to creating a minimum of 200,000 jobs in the next five years.
The director, Enterprise Development Centre (EDC), Pan-Atlantic University Mr. Peter Bankole, who revealed this on Monday said that the program is to train 200,000 Nigerian youths, over a period of five years.
He stated that the whole idea of this initiative is “…as we train and build their capacity, we will equally support them and at the end of the day, they will create at least another 200,000 jobs.”
Bankole said it is a free training program aims to boost employment creation and sustainable livelihoods, saying that “This program is open to all and is primarily focused on Lagos, Kano, and Kaduna states. Through this program, 40,000 young people will be supported with the resources and learning required to start, grow, and expand their businesses every year for the next five years.
He said: “The program will also provide support and resources to young people who want to become employable in the creative and agricultural sectors.
According to him: “…the idea is that as we train them and build their capacity, we will equally support them as they create a minimum of 200,000 jobs…the programme has so far been transformational.
They people present today are a very small segment of over 10,000 that have already benefitted from this programme and we urge Youths who are yet to join this programme to please get on board, go on http://reg.smetoolkit.ng/
He assured that: “This programme will transform you, help you get the knowledge and even more than that, we will support you to make small and big milestones in your growth plan…and after that, you will also have access to funding as we already have partners to get that sorted.
Sterling Bank is one of our key partners and for those in Lagos we have the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) as well…the financing will be on 9% interest rate per annum, which is very good and will only be ,made available when u have attended this programme.”
Also, Country head of Mastercard Foundation in Nigeria, Chidinma Lawanson, said “This initiative will prepare and enable young people to pursue their aspirations and create productive livelihoods for themselves and others.”
She noted that “We at Mastercard Foundation, are very strong on capacity building and financial inclusion. So, we have had interventions across more than 100 countries but in 2016, when we clocked 10 years, we went through an internal strategy to come up with what we called Young Africa Works strategy, which is unlocking employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for 30 million young Africans by the year 2030.”
She stated that “All the indices in Nigeria shows that if you want to target the youth, age 18-35 , agriculture is a strong area for Nigeria, which create about 60 per cent work opportunities. There are a lots of value chain in the agricultural spectrum and the second space where the youths really want to be is the creative industry and they are the second largest employer of labour for youth in Nigeria.
“We look at partners who can implement on our behalf, because the foundation does not implement, so we look for credible partners who have the expertise to train youths. Now this transforming youth projects with EDC is for five years and we collaborate with them, with their expertise and learning modules and we can boldly say, so far, so good, with the growth and trend we have experienced.
Also, executive secretary of Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), Teju Abisoye said that Lagos State government mandate is to tackle unemployment, saying that unemployment rate in Nigeria is 40 per cent and Lagos alone has 7.14 per cent, which was estimated to over seven million people to be out of job,
She noted that this calls for urgent attention, saying that “Our job is how do we strategically deal with unemployment issues and tackle poverty, and we have been doing a lot on this in reducing unemployment rate.”
“We will continue to represent a credible pipeline of people that can get access to funding and see how we can create a program or a process that is much faster. So as soon as you are done with your program, the funding is almost automatic, as long as you bring the required processes required.”
According to her, the grant ranges from N50,000 to N5 million depending on the nature of the business. “We are excited about this initiative, supporting businesses in the next five years for resident and those based in Lagos state is very exciting to us.”
The deputy director, Programmes, NYSC Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED), Mrs Rachel Idaewor stated that NYSC entered into skill acquisition and entrepreneurship development in 2012 because “We realized that there was a need for a skill acquisition and entrepreneurship department…When we started, we have partnerships with various organisations. EDC approached us in 2020 and it has been a transforming programme and we are positive that this partnership will enable Corp members to have access to first class training in entrepreneurship,” she said.
Mastercard Foundation and the Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) launched the Transforming Nigerian Youths program in 2020 and applications are open for young Nigerians, especially women within the age range of 18 to 35.
Business
Access Bank Group, Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation Pledge $300m to Transform Africa’s Economic Landscape
“We can’t wait to be saved; Africans need to solve Africa’s problems. This $300 million commitment reflects this reality’’ – Aig-Imoukhuede
AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM
SPONSORED BY: H&H
The Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation and Access Bank Group have pledged $300 million in charitable commitments over the next 20 years. Access Bank has committed $200 million and Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation committed $100 million.
President Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda and Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Chairman, Access Holdings PLC, at the Africa CEO Forum 2024 in Kigali…Thursday.
This will fund African government initiatives with a proven potential to transform national economic performance.
Speaking about the commitment, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Chairman, Access Holdings and Co-Founder, Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, said, “We can’t wait to be saved, Africans need to solve Africa’s problems. This $300 million commitment reflects this reality.”
President Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda and Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Chairman, Access Holdings PLC, at the Africa CEO Forum 2024 in Kigali…Thursday.
Appropriately, this announcement was made at the Africa CEO Forum 2024 in Kigali, Rwanda, where the theme of this year’s event is ‘At the table or on the menu?’. At the event, CEOs from across the continent joined to discuss how Africa can demand a seat at the global table, rather than continuing to wait to be invited.
The fund will see the creation of an African-led Super NGO in partnership with academics, experts and philanthropists across the globe who are committed to closing the gap between Africa and the rest of the world. The NGO will work with African governments to provide the funding, governance and talent required to successfully execute game changing government reform programs, especially in the delivery of digital public infrastructure.
The development comes at a time when Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank, has warned wealthy countries that it would be short-sighted to “ignore” Africa. This landmark Africa-led initiative could not have been better timed.
Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Chairman, Access Holdings PLC and Co-founder, Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation and Ofovwe Aig-Imoukhuede, Co-founder, Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, on the sidelines of the Africa CEO Forum 2024 in Kigali…Thursday.
“We African leaders cannot sit back and watch the 4th Industrial Revolution transform the rest of the world while leaving Africa falling further behind. We have to create our own ‘table’ by using technology to unlock the power of our youth, giving Africa a greater voice in the world. It’s today’s leaders who will determine whether or not we grab this opportunity,” Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede continued.
The availability of digital public infrastructure is a proven and cost-effective way for developing nations to break free of the status quo. It provides citizens with access to the same public goods and services available to citizens of advanced nations.
The India Stack has become a shining example of what can be achieved when visionary public and private sector leaders partner for development.
The Access Bank and Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation inspired NGO will make such partnerships a reality and delivering measurable improvements to the lives of Africans across the continent.
Notes to Editor:
For media inquiries, please contact:
communication@aigafrica.org or +234 808 5716 788
mediarelations@accessbankplc.com or +234 803 320 4315
ABOUT THE AIG-IMOUKHUEDE FOUNDATION
The Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation is a public sector-focused philanthropic organisation founded by Aigboje and Ofovwe Aig-Imoukhuede to improve the lives of Africans through transformed public service delivery and increased access to quality primary healthcare. The Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation accomplishes its mission by supporting the reform initiatives of public sector entities, providing financing, technical support, and capacity-building programmes and resources for the public sector workforce. The Foundation also provides funding and strategic support to drive the work of affiliate organisations such as Africa Business Coalition for Health (ABC Health), the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria (PSHAN), the Nigerian Solidarity Support Fund (NSSF) and others.
For more information, please visit www.aigimoukhuedefoundation.org.
Business
AIGBOJE AIG-IMOUKHUEDE APPOINTED PRESIDENT OF FRANCE NIGERIA BUSINESS COUNCIL
AIGBOJE AIG-IMOUKHUEDE APPOINTED PRESIDENT OF FRANCE NIGERIA BUSINESS COUNCIL
AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM
SPONSORED BY: H&H
At the esteemed Choose France Summit 2024, held on Monday, May 13, 2024, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, the Chairman of Access Holdings PLC, was formally appointed as the President of the France Nigeria Business Council (FNBC) by the President of the French Republic, President Emmanuel Macron.
Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede having a handshake and a tête-à-tête with President Macron at the Council’s meeting with the President, and Gilbert Chagoury looking on.
The France Nigeria Business Council (FNBC) stands as a pivotal coalition of Nigerian private sector business leaders, committed to enhancing bilateral relations between Nigeria and France. Its core objectives revolve around the facilitation of trade, investments, infrastructural development, job creation, and cultural integration between the two nations.
Since its establishment in June 2021 under the auspices of President Emmanuel Macron, the FNBC has diligently utilised its member network to champion investments across key business sectors, fostering cultural understanding and driving economic growth between Nigeria and France. Notably, it has catalysed Nigerian businesses’ ventures into investment opportunities within France.
Comprising 13 distinguished members, the Council boasts prominent figures including Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede (President), Abdul Samad Rabiu, Gilbert Chagoury, Mike Adenuga, Aliko Dangote, Jim Ovia, Tony Elumelu, and John Coumantaros. Additionally, Kola Karim, Leo Stan Ekeh, Daisy Danjuma, Gbenga Agboola, and Jean Haas serve as integral members, with Jean Haas holding the position of Secretary.
Aig-Imoukhuede’s appointment follows the passing of Herbert Wigwe, the Council’s former President, in February 2024.
Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede having a handshake and a tête-à-tête with President Macron at the Council’s meeting with the President, and Gilbert Chagoury looking on.
The Choose France Summit is an annual gathering that convenes business magnates, investors, and governmental dignitaries to explore investment prospects within France. The highlight of the Summit was the Presidential Dinner, characterised by high-level engagements and mutual commitments between participating parties.
Business
ACCESS BANK (SL) LTD STRENGTHENS LEADERSHIP TEAM WITH KEY BOARD APPOINTMENTS, NAMES NEW CHAIRMAN
AJAGBE ADEYEMI TESLIM
SPONSORED BY: H&H
Access Bank Sierra Leone Ltd (‘Access Bank (SL) Ltd’) has announced the appointment of new executives to its Board of Directors (‘the Board’), further strengthening its leadership team and advancing the implementation of its growth and transformation strategy.
These appointments also reflect the Bank’s commitment to fostering growth and development while maintaining the highest standards of governance and stewardship.
Joining the Board as Non-Executive Directors are Maurice Nathaniel Cole, Nsikak N. Usoro, Michala Mackay, Ibrahim Khalil Lamin, and Kolawole Augustine Ajimoko.
The appointees boast a wealth of expertise from diverse sectors, including banking, telecommunications, corporate governance, compliance, and finance. Their combined experience and vision will contribute to shaping the future trajectory of Access Bank (SL) Ltd.
Cole will serve as Chairman, following the exit of Alice Marie Onomake and will bring his experience to the fore as Access Bank (SL) Ltd works to consolidate its market position and deliver value for all its stakeholders.
“We are thrilled to welcome our new executives to Access Bank (SL) Ltd,” said Ganiyu Sanni, Country Managing Director, Access Bank Sierra Leone Ltd. “Their leadership and vision will be invaluable as we navigate through challenges and pursue sustained success. We extend our gratitude to outgoing Chairman, Alice Marie Onomake, and Non-Executive Director, Aminata B. Dumbuya, for their dedicated service and contributions to the Bank.”
Access Bank (SL) Ltd remains committed to excellence, transparency, and accountability as it embarks on this exciting new chapter. The Bank looks forward to leveraging the collective expertise of its leadership team to drive innovation, foster growth, and create lasting impact for its customers and communities.
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