2 students benefit from Ambode's empowerment programme

Lagos state Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has donated N5 million to two students of state College Of Health Technology who designed a new technology of generating Biogas through the treatment of animal waste. 

Sarunmi Oluwafemi and Dada Samuel, were among the 422 successful graduates of the Ready, Set, Work (RSW) programme of the state government. The programme is targeted to equip graduates of tertiary institutions in the state with the relevant entrepreneurial skills and to make them emerge as ready products for the increasingly competitive labour market, as well as job creators. 

Lagos state Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, with winners of entrepreneur category, Biogas Production, Sarumi Oluwafemi; Dada Samuel and the country senior partner, PricewaterCooper (PWC) Nigeria, Mr Uyi Akpata during the Ready, Set, Work Graduation ceremony, class of 2016, an initiative of the state ministry of Education at the Landmark Event Centre, Victoria Island, 

Lagos. Oluwafemi and Samuel, who emerged first winners of the competition, were equally given N1 million seed funding and placed on N100,000 monthly working capital for six months, all geared towards encouraging their business idea to grow. 

The business idea, which is Biogas production, involves the treatment of animal waste in order to generate Biogas which can be used for domestic cooking, generation of electricity and other purposes. The technology is targeted at providing a potential substitute for the ever costly liquefied petroleum gas. 

Governor Ambode, who spoke at the event, said his administration remained strongly committed to capacity building, entrepreneurship empowerment, and sustainable youth development, adding that the RSW initiative was one of the initiatives targeted at youth empowerment. 

 He added that the future of the state and the country lies in the hands of the youth who constitute a significant portion of the population. The governor said his objective is to allow students of tertiary institutions in the state have access to initiatives such as the RSW and other programmes. 

While inviting public and private sectors participants including non-governmental organizations, international agencies, and well-meaning Lagosians to partner with the government in raising students and youths who will transform the state, he vowed to increase the number of students in the pilot scheme of the RSW programme from 500 in 2016 to 1000 in 2017.

 

Ambode, his deputy and graduates at the event 

Ambode congratulated the 422 successful graduates of the scheme, recalling that the RSW, which lasted for 13 weeks, had been a journey requiring passion, diligence, discipline and perseverance. He advised the students to remain committed to the ideals that brought them so far, especially in the face of ongoing economic challenges. 

“This is a time to push ahead with the same strength and focus that brought you to this point, and to pursue with vigour the knowledge, skills, and ideas formed in you over the last three months. “The private sector would benefit from your passion and professionalism, while the entrepreneurial world awaits your vision driven ideas. 

As you progress in your journey, strong discipline remains an imperative and as pilots and ambassadors of ‘Ready, Set, Work’, you must uphold the positive values of decorum, respect, and self-management. Stand out and stand apart from the crowd in the “outside world,” he said. Ambode announced employment opportunities with the state government for some of the graduates and appreciated the private firms who partnered with the government to ensure the success of the 2016 programme. 

A report from the state government said apart from the first place winners of the pitch competition, the second place winners – One Box Group – was given N500,000 and placed on N100, 000 monthly working capital for six months, while the third place winners – Artisans On Campus, a group with online business plan – was given N250, 000 and equally placed on N100, 000 monthly working capital for six months. Also, 80 students were placed on apprenticeship slots, while 92 were placed on employability module.

 Obafela Bank-Olemoh, Ambode’s special adviser on education, had earlier said the RSW scheme, which witnessed 13 weeks of intensive training in partnership with corporate Nigeria, was in response to the need to churn out graduates who would be equipped with the needed entrepreneurship skills to contribute meaningfully to nation building.