FG trains students on entrepreneurship development in 100 higher institutions - Official

Mr Mohammed Baba, Asst. Director, Finance and Account, Federal Ministry of Finance, says the Federal Government, through the ministry has trained students on entrepreneurship development in not less than 100 higher institutions in the country.

He stated this on the sideline of training lectures for the students of the Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi on Friday, adding that the training was carried out under the Youth Enterprise With Innovation in Nigeria (YOUWIN) of the ministry.

Baba, who noted that the training was a project of President Bola Tinubu, said that the present administration saw the need to catch the ‘youth young’ so as to be self-sustained without relying 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 so as 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.

“The plan A is to give theoretical knowledge which is what we are doing now and the 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 to the most qualified entrepreneurs in schools,” he said.

He advised the students to make the best use of the grant when it finally arrived as they are being looked upon to become successful entrepreneurs and employers of labour to better the country's economy.

Baba also urged them to approach the Bank of Industry for loans to make their entrepreneurship knowledge a reality even before the coming of the federal government’s grant.

In her lecture, Mrs Deborah Tatimi, a facilitator, said that YOUWIN is to inspire, equip and make the students to embrace entrepreneurship as a viable career option by providing them with the mindset, skills and tools needed to build successful businesses.

This, she said, would reduce over dependence on government for jobs and help them in fostering a culture of self-reliance, innovation and employment.

Earlier, Alh. Kasim Salihu, the Registrar of the polytechnic, commended the federal government for selecting the school for the training and called on the students to listen attentively, saying that entrepreneurship is key to national development.

Salihu, who assured that the students of the school were well groomed on entrepreneurship development theoretically, called on the federal government to come up with grants to help them actualise and practicalise their skills.