The General Manager of the Global Entrepreneurship Network for Nigeria, Olawale Anifowose, said the initiative has since supported not less than 2,000 Nigerian Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises.

Anifowose made this disclosure at the 2022 Global Entrepreneurship Week Award ceremony in Lagos.

Speaking after the event, Anifowose said the annual event was organised to energise the youth of Nigeria to launch their business ideas and be more visible in the business ecosystem.

He said, “In over four years the centre has impacted over 2,000 MSMEs and is willing to continue to support young entrepreneurs in the country.”

He added that the centre would help provide access to quality support services and requisite information to grow their businesses.

He assured that the initiative would provide access to obtain loans through their partnership with the Development Bank of Nigeria.

He noted that the loan would help accelerate development and expansion with the right perception of being a global brand.

While expressing optimism over the forthcoming Global Entrepreneurship World Cup, he said, “Nigeria has been doing well at the global stage but has come short to win the top prize, one of the things we aspire for is that we will be able to make a positive impact to bring the prize home this time around.”

The Entrepreneurship World Cup 2022 first prize winner “My Food Angels” won the grand prize of N500,000 with additional $100,000 in-kind support from Google, Amazon Web Services, and Meta.

The winners are expected to compete on the global stage of the Entrepreneurship World Cup.

Other winners include Creamson Technology which was awarded N300,000 as the first runner-up, and Mystash Inc. received N200,000 as the second runner-up.

Also, the Youth Entrepreneurship Dialogue Pitching Competition saw Etti Farms Global Ltd, receiving the grand prize of N250,000,  Haqquman Farms, the runner received a cash prize of N150,000.

The Deputy Director of Enterprise Development Centre, Pan-Atlantic University, Nneka Okekearu lauded the Developments Bank of Nigeria and Providus Bank for their collaborative effort in providing seed grants for start-ups and young entrepreneurs in Nigeria.