The Nigerian government on Friday launched 30 start-up businesses by
youths under the Villa Demo Day platform for technology, innovation and
entrepreneurship.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo launched the businesses at an event
attended by the founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg.
Professor Osinbajo
also announced plans to collaborate with Facebook in coming months, expressing
the belief that it will enhance entrepreneurial and innovative connectivity for
Nigerian youths across Africa.
The Facebook founder’s
first port of call at the Presidential Villa in Abuja is the office of the
President, where he held a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari,
the Vice President and some ministers.
Mr Zuckerberg
proceeded to the launch of businesses owned by 30 winners selected from over
4,000 business presentations under the recently introduced Villa Demo Day.
It is a platform
established by the Federal Government to boost industrialisation and encourage
entrepreneurship among youths in Nigeria.
The Vice President
told the gathering that Mr Zuckerberg’s visit was both energising and exciting
for Nigeria’s youths who he said were now included in governance by such
opportunities.
Mr. Zuckerber acknowledged
that the creative innovations are refreshing, for which he told the gathering
that he would follow up on the innovative businesses to see how they would turn
out.
Three outstanding
businesses selected from the 30 winning businesses are to be given 3.5 million
Naira each as support for their start up.
According to the government, plans are on to
support other businesses, like agriculture, power generation, recycling and
information technology among others, towards significant growth.
