The convener of Project 60:60:60 initiative, Mr. Bimbo Daramola, has said plans have been concluded to raise 60 entrepreneurs in each of the six geopolitical zones of the country as COVID-19 job losses have been forecast to reach 39 million in the coming months.
Speaking at the Pre-Boot Camp Conversation on the project in Abuja, the convener said the 60 entrepreneurs from each zone would be raised out of participation in a process that would lead to a boot camp where the best of entries from each of the geopolitical zones would be taught how to develop businesses, markets, inventions, among others.
Daramola said, “Working with our partners, we expect that those 60 people would be given free start-up capitals between N60,000 and N1m so that they can start some kind of business under our guided intervention.
“We want to see how many entrepreneurs, through this initiative, that we can raise within the next 10 years. For instance, if we set up the 37 entrepreneurship laboratories across the country, we will ensure that 1,000 people get trade from those laboratories, which fit into the dream of President Muhammadu Buhari who said he wants to raise 100 million jobs within the next four to five years.”
An entrepreneur, Ms. Nancy Nnaji, urged new and existing entrepreneurs to increase partnerships, networking and innovations that would make them relevant during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The National Head, Africa’s Young Entrepreneurs, Olumide Oluwadare, urged entrepreneurs to identify challenges and provide solutions for their businesses to thrive.
