Abuja: AEA Introduces Youth Entrepreneurship Program

Abuja Enterprise Agency (AEA) has introduced a Youth Entrepreneurship Programme to encourage the culture of entrepreneurship and self-reliance amongst young people.

Announcing this development at commemoration of the International Youth Day, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Abuja Enterprise Agency, Shehu Abdulkadir said that it is not just about acknowledging the youthful population of the country but highlighting the contributions, opportunities, and challenges youth face in the society.

The AEA CEO added that in order to engage the youth positively, ‘’we designed the Youth Entrepreneurship Programme to encourage the culture of entrepreneurship and self-reliance amongst the young people and is targeted at National Youth Corps (NYSC) members, Fresh Graduates, and Youths between the ages of 18-35 years. The program runs for eight (8) consecutive Saturdays and covers a detailed curriculum on entrepreneurship and other activities like Classroom Learning, Business Coaching, Business Plan Pitch, Study Tour, Mentorship, and Business Development.’’

He stated that Nigerian youth have recorded successes in the area of sports, education, entertainment, entrepreneurship, and many more while our desire is to mold and build young people into business leaders by giving them access to critical resources including capacity development, mentorship and an enabling environment that will ensure that youths can fulfill their potentials.

Abdulkadir thanked the Minister of FCT, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijani Aliyu, and the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olusade Adesola for prioritizing the plight of the youth to ensure their development and empowerment in the FCT.

The International Youth Day was first celebrated on August 12, 2000, after the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution accepting the recommendation made by the world conference of Ministers responsible for youth in Lisbon in 1998 and since then August 12 of every year has been set aside for the International Youth Day Celebration and the theme of this year’s celebration is ‘’Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages’’.