Enhancing the skills of the next generation of entrepreneurs continues to yield positive results at the University of Lagos after a group of student entrepreneurs were presented to the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin T. Ogundipe, FAS at his office on Friday, April 8, 2022.
The team of students were in company of the Founder & co-Founder of the IGNITE program, Mr. Moyo Adebanjo and Tobi Durosinmi Etti. While introducing the fellows, Mr. Adebanjo said that the goal of the program is aimed at empowering the next generation of leaders to enter the workforce with the skills they need to access employment or create their own entrepreneurial opportunities in the fourth industrial revolution which conforms to the already established entrepreneurship drive seen to manifest in the Ogundipe-led administration.
While receiving the young entrepreneurs, the Vice Chancellor, remarked that Entrepreneurship and skill acquisition has continued to set the University of Lagos apart from many other universities, with an increasing number of incoming students already having started their own businesses. He expressed confidence that the vibrant university entrepreneurship ecosystem could be a fountain for Start-ups that are capable of growing to become unicorns. With the high level of unemployment and the recent economic downturn, he informed that the university will continue to help students invent and solve problem through experiential learning as well as offers stipend for the unique opportunity to examine their businesses and, for some, move them to the next level of development.
It will be recalled that sometime last year, a total of about 31students were involved in a two-week IGNITE student fellowship master class with three winners emerging with cash prizes of N500,000, N300,000 and N200,000 after being taken through highly demanding knowledge skill that could meant creating business models out of the existing problems. They were also given tools and knowledge to be creative, innovative to become employers of labour.
Some of the facilitators include Mr. Jimi Tewe, Kamil Olufowobi, Dr. Dipo Awojide, Debola Ajayi, Barrister Idris Olorunnimbe, Lampe Omoyele amongst others.
The Vice Chancellor spoke glowingly of the support the university has continue to receive from all the government agencies’, corporate entities and multi-national institutions towards its entrepreneurship drive in its quest to change the unpleasant narrative around youthful restiveness and promote valuable ideals to better the country.
The event also witnessed presentation of certificates to eachscholar by some represented sponsors of the program that included Mrs. Ezinne Nwokafor, Sterling Bank; Mr. Tope Smart, NEM; serial Entrepreneur, Alh. Garba Murtala Tafida and Mr. Habeeb Okunola of the TILT Group.
