FG Trains 100 Higher Institutions Students In Entrepreneurship

At least 100 higher institutions students across the country have been trained on entrepreneurship.
The Federal Ministry of Finance, through its Assistant Director, Finance and Accounts, Mohammed Baba, made this disclosure on Friday on the sidelines of a training session for students of the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi.
Baba, who said the initiative was carried out under the Youth Enterprise With Innovation in Nigeria (YOUWIN) programme of the ministry, addeed that the training was a project of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, which recognised the need to catch the youth young to make them self-reliant without depending on government employment.
“We have covered more than 100 tertiary institutions and with this initiative, the generation to come will be better. They have to have entrepreneurship skills to be able to fall back and grow as entrepreneurs and become employers of labour in the event of not getting a white-collar job.
“Plan A is to give theoretical knowledge, which is what we are doing now, and plan B is to give the practical aspect where the funding will come in the form of a grant to the entrepreneurship department, which will be shared among the most qualified entrepreneurs in schools,” Baba said
He further advised the students to make judicious use of the grants when disbursed, stressing that they are expected to become successful entrepreneurs and employers of labour who would strengthen the country’s economy.
Baba also encouraged the students to approach the Bank of Industry for loans to actualise their entrepreneurial ideas even before the federal government’s grant arrives.
On her part, a facilitator, Deborah Tatimi, explained that YOUWIN was designed to inspire, equip and encourage students to embrace entrepreneurship as a viable career option by providing them with the mindset, skills and tools required to build successful businesses.
She maintained that the programme would reduce overdependence on government jobs and foster a culture of self-reliance, innovation and employment generation.
Earlier, the Registrar of the polytechnic, Kasim Salihu, commended the federal government for selecting the institution for the training.
He urged students to pay keen attention to the lectures, stressing that entrepreneurship is key to national development.
Salihu added that while the institution had groomed its students theoretically in entrepreneurship, the federal government needed to provide grants to help them put their knowledge into practice.