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By Brown Chimezie
•Some beneficiaries of the exercise being presented with cheque
Activator HQ, a market intelligence and capacity development platform that actively tracks Africa’s top 100 business opportunities and supports entrepreneurs, recently gave financial empowerment to budding entrepreneurs to start their own businesses.
The empowerment was done with the support of Merriflux Nigeria Ltd and VOP 90.3 FM, Lagos.
The empowerment was a result of a contest known as the 3X start-up prize in which over 300 entrepreneurs submitted business ideas and, out of the number, 10 people were selected by a panel.
Those who were selected later came to the radio station to pitch their ideas to the listening audience who voted for the final three winners.
The winners got N500,000.00, N300.000.00, and N200.000.00, respectively.
Speaking at the end of the keenly contested event, the founder of ActivatorHQ, John Paul Iwuoha, said that the platform was set out to encourage and promote entrepreneurship in Nigeria in particular and Africa in general.
According to him, apart from financial assistance, they give budding entrepreneurs the insights, training, and guidance they need to start and grow businesses in Africa’s promising (but difficult) markets.
He said that since 2013, their work has helped dozens of entrepreneurs to successfully start, grow, and turn around businesses in several countries within and outside Africa.
His words: “The company’s core offerings include market intelligence reports (The Africa Top 100 Guide), bespoke business plans, training for entrepreneurs, management consulting for businesses and organizations, private consultations and strategy sessions, online business courses, and personal and group coaching.”
He said that the winners of the 3X start-up prize were grilled to the limit and that he is certain that within the next three years, they would not only be doing well for themselves, they would have become employers of labour and adding their own quota to the growth of the nation’s economy.
Iwuoha commended the CEO of Merriflux and the management of VOP 90.3 FM Lagos for helping to make the exercise a dream come true.
In her own contribution, the CEO of Merriflux Nigeria Ltd, Merry Onaefe-Edebi commended the founder of ActivatorHQ, John Paul Iwuoha for coming up with the idea as well as the prize money and the management of VOP90.3 FM for providing the platform for the contest.
According to her, the main reason businesses are falling in Nigeria is because the owners, a lot of the time, lack insight, training, and guidance.
She said that with the role that ActivatorHQ is playing in the entrepreneurial sector of the national economy, sooner than later, big businesses would be springing up from all the nooks and crannies of the country.
“Merriflux Nigeria Ltd is a brand and advertising company and we are very proud to collaborate with ActivatorHQ and VOP90.3 FM on this laudable project that is aimed at closing the gap of unemployment and at the same time boosting the economy of the country through production and job creation.”
Also contributing, the General Manager of VOP90.3,Segun Adeniji, said that the radio station is out to set the pace in entrepreneurship building.
According to him, apart from providing quality education, entertainment, and information, VOP 90.3 FM is also into different types of talent hunt, skill development, and nation building.
He commended the founder of ActicvatorHQ as well as the CEO of Merriflux for initiating the empowerment scheme and promised that the radio station would always be ready and available for Nigerians with innovative and creative ideas
The first prize of N500.000.00 went to Ozioma Chioma Alagba. She produced a nutritionally fortified pap.
The second prize of N300.000.00 went to Erioluwa Odewunmi, who produced natural and healthy cake.
The third prize of N200.000 went to Uche Uzumma Elekima, who produced traditional herbal remedies.
The winners appreciated the organizers of the empowerment scheme and promised to use the money judiciously.
